March 2018 www.womanthismonth.com PEOPLE | interview 26 With a grade point average of 97.8 (which works out at 99 overall), Hend was not short of scholarship offers when she graduated from a government school. However, this bright Bahraini had always been interested in aviation and wanted to be a pilot. Her dad, however, despite working in the field himself, said he would support her in virtually any career but not aviation! “My father worked in aviation but he was not supportive; he didn’t understand that it could be a good career for a female,” says Hend. “He actually wanted me to be a doctor but I have always wanted to be in aviation – it’s like an addiction.” Her father did later change his mind! Fortuitously, she heard about a new programme set up by Tamkeen and Bahrain Airport Services offering scholarships in aircraft engineering. Without telling anyone, she turned down her other offers and applied. Out of 500 hopefuls, she was one of just 30 to be chosen for the four-year course. Following two years of theory, she embarked on two years with Gulf Air, as the only female trainee at the time. She says: “As a woman in this field, I had to give twice as much as the men to prove myself. “I spent that whole two years virtually the whole time at the airport and, in the end, I qualified for my licence ahead of time because I had the necessary hours.” In fact, at just 22, she qualified with both B1 – mechanical (aircraft structure, powerplant and mechanical and electrical systems) and later B2 – avionics (communications, navigation, radar, instrument and electrical systems) parts of the licence. She was Gulf Air’s youngest engineer and says: “At the age of 23, I was signing off my first planes.” This means that as the aircraft engineer, she would be certifying the planes' fitness to fly. Working with the national carrier, she flew around the world as the planes have to be checked and signed off before each take-off. Over 10 years of 12-hour days, one thing she was careful about was to make time for herself and preserve her sense of femininity, saying: “It’s really important to take time out. I don’t think it’s necessary to Hend Alawadhi tells Liz O’Reilly how her fascination with aviation gave her the determination to defy her family and fly high in her chosen career. Hend Alawadhi A Suitable Job for A Woman
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