An Afghan pilot hoping to become the youngest woman in history to complete a solo round-the-world flight was preparing on Monday to start the Transatlantic leg of her journey.
Shaesta Waiz, 29, was born in a refugee camp at the end of
the Soviet war in Afghanistan before immigrating with her family to the United
States in 1987. There, she obtained her pilot's licence - becoming the youngest
certified civilian female pilot from Afghanistan.
Waiz took off from Florida on Saturday and has mapped out a
route that will take her aboard her Beechcraft Bonanza A36 aircraft
approximately 25,800 kilometres to more than 18 countries, including India,
before ending the trip back in Florida in August.
During her 30 stopovers, the engineering graduate and the
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which is backing her trip,
will host events to try to get schoolchildren interested in aeronautics.
According to ICAO figures, less than five per cent of commercial pilots are
women.
On the website of her non-profit Dreams Soar, she commented:
“Every time I open the door of an aircraft, I ask myself, ‘How did a girl with
my background become so lucky? The truth is, anyone can be me.'
Source: DNA-17th May,2017
