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Our sense of achievement overpowers any fear, says PIA's female pilot duo

Our sense of achievement overpowers any fear, says PIA's female pilot duo

Maryam Masood and Shumaila Mazhar talk about becoming pilots and their flight to Gilgit
27 Jun, 2018

Captain Maryam Masood and First Officer Shumaila Mazhar made history last week as they became the first female crew to land a plane in Gilgit.

The Islamabad-to-Gilgit flight is said to be a "very challenging and requires a lot of precision and technique" by Pakistan International Airline itself and the duo's success has gone viral over social media.

PIA sat with their two star pilots to learn about their journey:

"I was on my way to becoming a doctor, I think my father wanted that as well," shared Maryam Masood, "But sometime during the FSc, I don't know what happened but I just went up to my father and told him I want to fly. He was taken aback, saying 'I thought you wanted to be a doctor, you're so young!' It took him some time to take me seriously but he was able to understand how passionate I was about this."

Shumaila Mazhar had a similar story except that she "always wanted to become a pilot" and "never thought of anything else in my life."

"My cousin made model planes and would fly them at Seaview and I would tag along just to look at them in the air. One time I said 'I want to fly them' and cousin just said 'Why not? You can.' That was all the motivation I needed. My family was just as taken aback as Maryam's. It took me a year but I convinced them and now they support me more than anything."

She added, "We're glad we had support not just from our families but from PIA. We weren't afraid or nervous at all. Even during this Gilgit flight. It's part of our training to stay very calm despite the conditions."

Speaking about psychological hurdles of their career, Maryam pointed out, "Yes, it can get challenging but we're never afraid. We don't just fly over the mountains, we fly through them without any fear. That's a requirement for being a pilot, but it's still such a good feeling every time we successfully land a plane. It's a sense of achievement and that overpowers the fear every time."

Also read: 5 ridiculous responses to female pilots flying to Gilgit

About their photo going viral and the duo being touted as the first female crew to land a plane in Gilgit, Maryam made a note about female empowerment saying, "There are barely any fields in Pakistan where there are no women. I myself was the fourth woman to join PIA but even when we're few we're there. The three women senior to me had their share of difficulty and paved the way for me. And I want to carry that on and improve whatever they did and hope women after me will do the same."

She added about being a pilot, "It's a very safe and decent profession and the overall response has been so wonderful and it's always like this. Whenever people find out the pilot is a woman they get excited and want to meet."

Maryam revealed that this excitement over a Pakistani female pilot is not restricted to Pakistan alone but abroad as well. "Even flying planes to America and Paris, we'd see the people over there be even more stunned than people here. They were very excited and impressed that Pakistan has female pilots."

We're glad Maryam and Shumaila had the opportunity to represent her country and we hope their courageous journeys inspire young Pakistani women to pursue their dreams too.

Comments

Ramesh Uppal Jun 27, 2018 12:40pm
It gives great pleasure to see the empowerment of our sub- continent's women.
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Fahimuel Jun 27, 2018 01:59pm
Bravo, well done Maryam and Shumaila. Empowerment of women is the key to any nations success. You can be what you want to be provided you have the determination and the opportunity. We must encourage our daughters/women to be what they want to be.
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helping hands Jun 27, 2018 02:10pm
Good going, ladies!
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Yasir_Bilal Jun 27, 2018 02:56pm
Indeed a praise worthy achievement . Congratulations not only to the pilot duo but the whole Pakistan . Women participation in every field of life will add a positive graph to country's economy .
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Jee Jun 27, 2018 03:17pm
How is flying an airplane an achievement for a pilot?
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N_Saq Jun 27, 2018 06:24pm
Empowerment of women and their inclusion in every profession will play a great role in reformation of the society, as women makes corruption difficult. That is one of the reasons the Western nations are so far ahead of the rest.
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Junaid Ali Jun 27, 2018 07:05pm
@Jee Ofcorze it’s an achievement because not everyone can became commercial pilots
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Saif Afridi Jun 27, 2018 07:20pm
@Jee what in your opinion may be an achievement for a pilot, if flying is not?
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Sundus Fatima Jun 27, 2018 09:28pm
Just Wow !!!
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Parvez Jun 27, 2018 11:54pm
These ladies are not just awesome .......but the support they have received from their families is also praiseworthy.
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Zak Jun 28, 2018 12:48am
Proud of the Naya Pakistan emerging. Best is yet to come.
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Moomal Jun 28, 2018 05:36am
@Jee First Pakistani women to land a plane in that difficult terrain is an achievement in itself. This should be celebrated to motivate other women so that they can play an equal role to men in our society.
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Shahram Jun 28, 2018 07:24am
I want my Daughters role models like Captain Maryam and officer Shumaila.
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Rev. Eldrick Lal Jul 03, 2018 08:58pm
Good for you, ladies.
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MA Jul 04, 2018 11:53am
Brave ladies - big achievement
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