Ayesha Aziz, who became the youngest student pilot in India at the age of 16 is an inspiration for those, who are fighting for their dreams. The country where women are still struggling for the basic right of equality, inspiring stories like that of Ayesha Aziz leave you with the hope of a better future.
Ayesha Aziz, who became India’s youngest student pilot at 16 on receiving a student pilot’s license is a real-life example of how with courage, determination, and perseverance, we can turn any dream into a reality. We live in a society, where at every step our society tends to curtail women’s freedom. In the midst of such a regressive society, it is quite inspiring how Aziz, the daughter of a businessman from Worli, has worked hard to earn her wings.
While sharing how she got fascinated by the profession, she mentioned:
“I got fascinated by pilots. As I grew up, my fascination only increased and I finally landed up at Bombay Flying Club.”
Ayesha, who was born in Kashmir, moved later to Mumbai. She graduated in aviation from the Bombay Flying Club last year. Till now, she has flown single-engine aircraft for 200 hours for her training. Recalling her greatest flying experience so far, Ayesha mentioned:
“The first time I flew an aircraft with my parents on board, the greatest feeling I had was of independence … a sense of liberation,”
Aziz credits her success to her father, Abdul Aziz, who supported her consistently in her journey of becoming a pilot. Abdul has always been supportive to help Ayesha achieve new heights. He said to TOI,
“I have always believed that knowledge and enquiry are keys to human progress. If my child had a dream which was achievable, I had to be part of the process and see that she realized this dream,”
It is amazing how she got enrolled for astronaut training at NASA and even got a chance to interact with legendary astronauts Sunita Williams and Jon A McBride who she regards as her inspiration.
Ayesha has won multiple accolades. She is an honorary member of the Indian Women Pilot’s Association. She is qualified to fly single-engine Cessna 152 and Cessna 172 aircraft. She has also received certification to fly Airbus A320 commercial aircraft.
At IFORHER, we are so proud of Ayesha and hope her inspiring achievements will encourage many more young minds to turn their dreams into reality.
