High-flier

Flying gives Shazia Anwar the independence and excitement no hobby can

She had always wanted to soar in the sky. For Shazia Anwar, her childhood dream turned into reality with her first solo flight after clocking just 13 hours of flying time. Today this young woman is just a few hours away from obtaining her microlight pilot's licence from Al Jazeera Aviation Club in Ras Al Khaimah.

"I was inspired by Inma, a Spanish student who was the first woman to fly solo at the club," says Shazia. Shazia now holds the record for being the first woman in the UAE to fly solo in a microlight plane in the shortest number of flying hours.

Students usually take 18 to 20 hours of instruction before being permitted to fly solo. Shazia maintains her success is largely due to her instructor Captain Zaigham who encouraged and believed in her.

"I thought it would be like driving," laughs Shazia. "But I soon realised that with driving one does not have to worry about altitude. In an emergency while flying, one has to quickly look for a dirt road for an emergency landing. In the case of a car, you can park it on the side of the road," she explains.

Shazia flies a microlight category aircraft that has minimal electronic gadgets and no navigation system. "We use a compass to make visual reference points. This also means that I can only fly during the day time," she says.

She chose the microlight aircraft because it allows her to fly in the shortest possible time and also because obtaining a microlight pilot's licence was more economical than obtaining a private pilot's licence.

Flying gives her the independence and excitement that no other hobby can. "It gives me a thrill knowing that I have taken off and I have control to the aircraft and that nobody else is going to land for me," she adds.

"Once you start, you get hooked," she says.

"I fly up to 1,400 feet in the Ras Al Khaimah area and can see the beaches and mountains. The scene is gorgeous from the sky," she adds.