Hyderabad: A 21-year-old from Hyderabad, Muskan Begum, has obtained her commercial pilot licence after completing training in Cape Town, South Africa, becoming one of the youngest from the city to have achieved the feat.
She completed her schooling from Narayana and her intermediate education from Chaitanya before starting her aviation journey. “I did my medicals in Hyderabad and cleared the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) exams from V2 Aviation Academy in Khader Bagh,” she said.
She joined the 4 Aviators Flying School in Cape Town in 2023 after receiving her South African visa. “I completed both my theory and practical exams there, and I was tested with the examiner for my CPL checkride,” she said.
“I’ve flown more than 250 hours and now legally hold a commercial pilot licence,” she told Siasat.com.
Belonging to a middle-class family of seven, Muskan credits her parents for their unwavering support. “My mom does small businesses, and my dad works in Doha, Qatar. Initially, convincing them was a tough task due to the community and irrelevant stereotypes, but in the end, I had their full support,” she said.
“Being a hijabi and getting trained in South Africa was fine with a bit of struggle. But the key was not letting others’ opinions influence me,” she added.
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She is currently pursuing instructor training from the same flying school. “I’ll be working here as an instructor to build a good amount of hours and experience,” she said. “So when airline vacancies are available, I can join directly.”
Recalling where it all began, she said, “As a child, I used to see aircraft near the airport. Since then, I imagined myself sitting in the cockpit, flying it by myself.”
“Aviation was a dream at first. Now, it’s everything,” she added further.
