Wayne Farley's Aviation Blog - Air Traffic Management

Here’s a story that I believe is inspirational and can help both men and women in aviation around the world to never loose sight of their goal. Capt. Hanadi Zakariya Hindi became the first female pilot in Saudi Arabia.
You may ask, what’s so special about this story. But, to put things in perspective, here is a short list things Saudi women are not allowed to do:

• vote
• venture into the public without being accompanied by a male guardian
• hold political office
• drive

In the Western World, these are regular everyday activities that go unnoticed, but in the Middle East the story is different.
So how did Capt. Hanadi Zakariya Hindi do it? She brought her case to the always interesting Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal a few years ago. The prince responded by sponsoring her flight school program in Jordan and then signing her up for a 10-year contract to fly for his Kingdom Holding Company.
The prince has repeatedly stated that she is “a real Muslim woman who has done nothing against the teachings of Islam.” This was necessary to combat the orthodox religious views held by the most Saudi men.
Hanadi obtained her commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating, then later, the European commercial pilot certificate and type certification of the Hawker 800 business jet.
By contrast, Amelia Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer who set many records, including being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932.
Just one month ago, in a related story, Noufa AlAfeefi became the first United Arab Emirates female to certified and work as a UAE Area Controller. Contrasting again, Paula McAdam became the first female air traffic controller in my homeland before I entered the profession. Today, Paula is the Deputy Director of Civil Aviation in Guyana.

True to the words in the poem Desiderata, “life is full of heroism”. These women have and continue to be heroes that inspire us and the next generation of aviation professionals. Congratulations to all of them.
I’d love to hear about some of the first females in your country.