I am a girl and I want to become a Pilot.

Those two phrases when put together raise a lot of eyebrows. A pilot is supposed to be this hotshot macho man in a uniform, manning a plane like a, well, man. So when people hear my career choice, they are skeptic.

That sometimes makes ME skeptic. Is it possible to fly? Can I really be one of those who sit in a cockpit and have that air of confidence around them? During my interview, I was told that 80% of the people who join the flying academy are boys. So was my gender going to pull me down from achieving or even dreaming my dream?

Hell no.

It’s a challenge to go up against the society norms. “You’re supposed to have a family and take care of the house and be a literally down to earth person.” Well, I would accept and abide by this if my brother does too. If he can fly, so can I. Simple as that.

I have heard a lot of people taunting pilot aspirants, “you must be filthy rich, that’s why you’re going to fly”, “you must suck at studies, that’s why you aren’t taking up something more challenging”, “you must not be ambitious at all” and on and on it goes. I would like to break some of these prejudices.

Someone who is filthy rich can take up any career option he or she likes, just like someone who is not so filthy rich can. Education is an investment to an extent and a flying school is a SCHOOL which means it is a part of one’s education. And if you think that someone who is dumb in school can easily become a pilot, you’re highly mistaken. We need to give exams before we get our license and to renew our license every few months, we need to give those exams again. It’s a continuous study. We are fit and healthy people because we control an aircraft which flies 30 thousand feet above the ground. We are responsible for the 100-200 people on board and we take that responsibility very seriously.

Talking about ambition, sometimes travelling can be one’s ambition. Earning money is another. Sure, we may not get famous but does everybody in any job get fame so easily? No. a pilot’s job is as ambitious as a banker’s job- aim is to earn good money and live life happily.

Yet at times, we need motivation to keep going. It’s challenging to not know what to expect. Every flight is the same yet different. Weather conditions, the aircraft itself, the air traffic controller…there are so many factors and so many people who contribute to a safe flight. We are trained to manage the worst; we are trained to be calm and patient. We are trained to be spontaneous and make quick yet well calculated decisions. It’s scary to have that much pressure. And we are trained to not buckle in that kind of pressure.

Like any other field, the more knowledge you have, the safer you feel. So gaining knowledge is a first. Watching Air Crash Investigations episodes on YouTube or reading From the Ground Up by Sandy Macdonald are just a few ways by which a student can know more and more about flying. Experience on the other hand, just like in any other field, counts the most. Keeping oneself updated about aviation news and reading aviation novels like those by Glenn Meade and Ronan Ray also keeps one hooked. A pilot is not supposed to build a plane. But without a pilot, an airplane engineer’s job is a waste. The world needs some kickass fearless people who are ready to take up challenges and fly into the unknown (not literally; today we have almost the entire airspace mapped. But you get my point)

Watching a crew walk by the long queues of passengers is a sight I would always look at with awe. It’s evident in the way they speak that they know what they’re doing and they are well prepared. There is something so awesome about their uniform and the epaulettes on their shoulders. There is something so utterly sexy about the way they carry themselves.

A dream is an illusion of the sub conscious mind for some people. But for some others, a dream is what keeps them alive and going. And my dream? My dream is to fly, over the rainbow so high!