Baramulla girl from Kashmir wants to be a commercial pilot

Srinagar: A 17-year-old Mumbai girl, who traces her origin to Kashmir, has achieved the distinction of being awarded a student pilot licence and is now determined to realise her dream of becoming a commercial pilot.Ayesha Aziz, whose mother hails from Baramulla district in north Kashmir, has already attained what many girls her of age only ponder—she was awarded a student pilot licence by the prestigious Bombay Flying Club when she was just 15.She has also earned Flight Radio Telephone Operator's Licence (FRTOL) and is a member of Indian Women Pilots Association (IWPA).“I only had one dream and that was to become a pilot. It was the only thing that was in my mind and I was focussed and determined to realise my dream,” Ayesha told PTI.While she was studying in class 12 at Christ Church School in Mumbai, a NASA team visited the school and selected her, along with two boys, for a space training programme.“NASA was an awesome experience. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It felt great....I do not have words to describe my feeling,” she said.During the two-month course, she received advanced training in space shuttle mission, multi-axis training, micro-gravity, manned manoeuvering unit and extra vehicular activity (EVA), Ayesha said.Although she is eligible to sit in the examination for qualifying as a commercial pilot in November this year, Ayesha said she will appear in the test next year as “I don't think I am ready yet.”She is proud of the support extended to her by her parents. “It is because of my parents that I stand where I am today.” Ask her about Kashmir and she excitingly recalls her visits to the Valley.“Kashmir has played a significant role in my life and I am emotionally attached to it,” Ayesha said.She has a word of advice for the youth in Kashmir especially girls—not to be bothered by politics and to follow their heart.“I have the pictures in my mind of the sufferings and everything that is happening in Kashmir. I am waiting for the day when all these bad things end,” she said.“I want to tell the Kashmiri youth to follow their hearts and dreams. There are avenues you should follow and not just run after medicine and engineering. And do not be after politics. Do not bother your mind by it....that is not how it should be,” she added.A western music buff, Ayesha also likes horse-riding and tennis when she is not thinking about flying.She said women have achieved success in every field, citing the example of India-born astronaut Sunita Williams and hopes to make a mark in the same way Williams did.