Zara Rutherford: I aspire to be an astronaut

The youngest pilot flies her big dream at the "Expo"

• Zara and Aisha in the women's pavilion at the "Expo".

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• Zara: My flight from Mumbai to Dubai in my light plane took 8 hours.

  From the source

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The youngest girl to fly a light plane alone on a trip around the world, Belgian Zara Rutherford, confirmed that her pursuit of her dream of flying a plane dates back to her early childhood years, remembering when she was less than three years old and accompanying her family for long hours on flights led by her father over forests and plains. Africa where they live.

19-year-old Zara, who was a guest at Expo 2020 Dubai, embarked on her ambitious journey following her completion in Britain of A-level, which is the stage of study that precedes the specialized university study, in which the young pilot intends to specialize in computer programming, in preparation for the realization of her biggest dream. in becoming an astronaut.

Zara said, during a press conference held yesterday, in the women's pavilion at "Expo 2020", in response to a question by "Emirates Today" about the longest and most difficult trips it has taken since it launched last August from Belgium to circumnavigate the world with its small plane: "The time of the flight is The longest was eight hours, which is the time it took to get her plane from Mumbai to Dubai,” explaining that “the trip, which is usually completed in regular aircraft within three hours, took eight hours, the entirety was over sea water, and required slowness, deliberation and caution imposed by weather fluctuations and strong winds.” Which made it one of the difficult experiences, as she put it.”

And about the extent to which she was able to deal with the aircraft’s systems and technologies and any emergency that might occur during the flight, she stressed that she “has become accustomed to making the right decision at the right moment, such as switching between fuel tanks if one of them is empty, as well as dealing with air pressure and wind direction, which It is not without anxiety, but it remains within control by virtue of training in dealing with different scenarios.”

Record

Zara Rutherford, who is trying to break a record and enter the Guinness Book of Records in her quest to fly solo around the world in a lightweight aircraft, considered that realizing her dream in the fields of aviation and computer programming is a win for the challenge not only for her, but for any girl and woman in the world. The world, in light of data and figures that indicate that women constitute only 5% of the experienced pilot crew in the world, while the percentage of women out of the total number of computer scientists does not exceed 15%.

And she continued, "I will continue to work throughout my life to break the stereotype about women who are raised from childhood to take care of appearance, beauty and rosy stories, while instilling in the same boys of children a love of learning and excellence in obtaining higher degrees in difficult branches of mathematics and physics."

effort and knowledge

For her part, the Permanent Representative of the UAE to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Aisha Al Hameli, who participated in the press conference held at the Women's Pavilion at the "Expo" to introduce Zara Rutherford, said that "breaking the record in any field is not a coincidence." Rather, it requires vision, determination and continuous work that is established through years of effort, knowledge and science,” noting that the experience of the Belgian young woman is an inspiring experience for every woman in the world.

Aisha emphasized the role and importance of her father, family and country's support for her so that she was able to be the youngest Emirati to learn to fly and practice commercial aviation.

Aisha Al Hamli is one of the pioneering Emirati models in the field of science and work, as she was able to learn to fly and graduate from the Royal Jordanian Aviation Academy when she was only 16 years old, and she is a certified flight instructor from the Royal Jordanian Aviation Academy.

Aisha held several important positions, such as a pilot in Abu Dhabi Airlines between 2003 and 2007, and head of the air transport department at the General Civil Aviation Authority between 2007 and 2009. Aviation sector and the diplomatic corps.

• Only 5%, the proportion of women among the world's experienced pilots.

Zara Rutherford:

• “I will continue throughout my life to work to break the stereotyped image of women, who are raised on them since childhood.”

• “Realizing my dream is a challenge not only for me, but for any girl and woman in the world.”

Aisha Al Hameli:

• “The support I received from my country and my family enabled me to become the youngest Emirati woman to learn to fly.”

lucky with my family

The young Belgian, Zara Rutherford, described herself as "lucky", as she was born into a family that loves to fly, and was encouraged and supported by them, noting that she hopes to preserve this legacy that extends to her ancestors.