Young Kashmiri girl has only one dream--be a commercial pilot

Ayesha Aziz, the youngest Kashmiri girl to get a Student Pilot License from the prestigious Bombay Flying Club when she was just 15, has only one dream--to become a commercial pilot.
Setting her sights high, 17-year-old Mumbai-based Ayesha, whose mother hails from Baramulla district in north Kashmir, also has a word of advice for the Kashmiri youth, saying they must follow their hearts and dreams and not be bothered by politics.
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 here.

Although she is eligible to sit in the examination for qualifying as a commercial pilot in November this year, she said she will appear in the test only next year as "I don't think I am ready yet."
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.

"Kashmir has played a significant role in my life and I am emotionally attached to it," Ayesha said.
She said the youth in Kashmir, especially girls, should not to be bothered by politics and must 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.

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.