ENIGMA.com
November 19th, 2004, 10:01 AM
Bahraini, 10, flying high with a pilot's licence...
By DALAL AL ALAWI
A TEN-YEAR-OLD Bahraini boy is reaching for the sky after passing his Student Pilot (SP) licence.
Mohammed Ali received his first flight certificate from the Fujairah Aviation Centre in the UAE after completing more than one year's training.
It is a dream come true for the St Christopher's School student, who has been in love with planes and flying for as long as he can remember.
"When I was nine I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a pilot," he said.
"My parents supported me all the way - even though my mum was always telling me to be careful."
Mohammed, who orbited around the UAE in a C172 SP with an instructor pilot for more than an hour, described the experience as unforgettable.
"I especially loved the take-off because you get a very nice feeling heading into the air," he said.
"When you're flying a plane you're in control of everyone, which is really cool."
Mohammed plans to continue flying as a hobby, but would like to design aircraft as a career.
"I'm going to work my way up to flying jets and will be allowed to fly on my own when I turn 17," he said.
"I would love to see extraordinary things, like volcanoes, from the top view."
Mohammed has plans to design new planes by improving on previous models.
His ideas include modifying wings for more stabilisation and making the bodies of planes lower and closer to the ground to help with maintenance.
He would also like to modernise the cockpits, make planes safer, design space shuttles and "cruise planes" that resemble cruise ships.
One of his favourite aircraft is the Boeing 777, which he says is highly computerised and one of the most comfortable aircraft designed so far.
He also likes all the Airbus fleet.
"I've learned a lot on planes and flying by reading loads of books and going on the net," said Mohammed.
Meanwhile, the youngster gave his advice to anyone interested in becoming a pilot.
His first tip is to get on a rollercoaster and he says if they survive that they know they can handle flying.
"People should try using flight simulators first and practise on them," he said.
"It's important to learn how to use all the gauges and read them accurately while using the simulator and flying 'blind' - which is relying on vision only."
Mohammed said pilots must have strong personalities and be prepared to handle anything that goes wrong.
"You should always have a good night's sleep before flying a plane because dozing off by mistake could be fatal," he said.
"Movements within the cockpit must also be made very carefully because leaning on anything by mistake is dangerous."
Mohammed said the aviation alphabet must also be learned, as well as different aviation terms for communicating with air traffic control.
He is now planning to take his parents on a plane and will try for his Private Pilot (PP) licence when he turns 12.
By DALAL AL ALAWI
A TEN-YEAR-OLD Bahraini boy is reaching for the sky after passing his Student Pilot (SP) licence.
Mohammed Ali received his first flight certificate from the Fujairah Aviation Centre in the UAE after completing more than one year's training.
It is a dream come true for the St Christopher's School student, who has been in love with planes and flying for as long as he can remember.
"When I was nine I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a pilot," he said.
"My parents supported me all the way - even though my mum was always telling me to be careful."
Mohammed, who orbited around the UAE in a C172 SP with an instructor pilot for more than an hour, described the experience as unforgettable.
"I especially loved the take-off because you get a very nice feeling heading into the air," he said.
"When you're flying a plane you're in control of everyone, which is really cool."
Mohammed plans to continue flying as a hobby, but would like to design aircraft as a career.
"I'm going to work my way up to flying jets and will be allowed to fly on my own when I turn 17," he said.
"I would love to see extraordinary things, like volcanoes, from the top view."
Mohammed has plans to design new planes by improving on previous models.
His ideas include modifying wings for more stabilisation and making the bodies of planes lower and closer to the ground to help with maintenance.
He would also like to modernise the cockpits, make planes safer, design space shuttles and "cruise planes" that resemble cruise ships.
One of his favourite aircraft is the Boeing 777, which he says is highly computerised and one of the most comfortable aircraft designed so far.
He also likes all the Airbus fleet.
"I've learned a lot on planes and flying by reading loads of books and going on the net," said Mohammed.
Meanwhile, the youngster gave his advice to anyone interested in becoming a pilot.
His first tip is to get on a rollercoaster and he says if they survive that they know they can handle flying.
"People should try using flight simulators first and practise on them," he said.
"It's important to learn how to use all the gauges and read them accurately while using the simulator and flying 'blind' - which is relying on vision only."
Mohammed said pilots must have strong personalities and be prepared to handle anything that goes wrong.
"You should always have a good night's sleep before flying a plane because dozing off by mistake could be fatal," he said.
"Movements within the cockpit must also be made very carefully because leaning on anything by mistake is dangerous."
Mohammed said the aviation alphabet must also be learned, as well as different aviation terms for communicating with air traffic control.
He is now planning to take his parents on a plane and will try for his Private Pilot (PP) licence when he turns 12.