For teenager Illyaquila, flying is all that matters

[Naim 6]

NST

15/4/07

 

For teenager Illyaquila, flying is all that matters

 

 

LANGKAWI: For Illyaquila Fateen Ismail, the first female graduate from the HM Aerospace flying school here, there was no special treatment during her training. "I was treated just like one of the boys. Throughout my 16-month training, my course mates and trainers did not treat me differently.

 

"It was only when I excelled in an examination did some of the boys jokingly say that I scored big because I am a girl," said Illyaquila, 19, whose father is a pilot with Malaysia Airlines while her mother used to be a stewardess.

 

The former student from SMK Sri Aman in Petaling Jaya, who has clocked in 1,050 flying hours, was the only woman among 15 men who received their wings yesterday at a graduation ceremony at a hotel here.

 

Langkawi MP Datuk Paduka Abu Bakar Taib presented the wings. Also present was HM Aerospace executive chairman Tan Sri Halim Mohammad. There are six other female trainees at the school in Padang Mat Sirat.

 

Illyaquila confessed to having a culture shock when she first arrived at the school.

 

"I attended an all-girls secondary school. It was awkward at first to be surrounded by boys but I learned to adapt. Of course, I also experienced all the teasing."

 

Now that she has a licence to fly, Illyaquila is focused on getting her first job with an airline.

 

She is undergoing a transition training course with AirAsia, which ends in June.

 

Illyaquila is the second of three girls and a boy in the family.

 

Her father, Captain Ismail Abu Bakar, 51, attended the ceremony with the rest of the family.

 

Halim said HM Aerospace was the largest flight training centre in Malaysia with 23 training aircraft.

 

The school, which has trained 354 cadets since it started three years ago, is the first in Asia to have the AL200-DAA2 flight simulator.

 

http://www.nst.com.my/NST/Article/vArt?did=20070415074809

[Jason K 0]

Hello everyone.. OMG my face is inside...but just half of my face....haiz....anyway Aquila is very good in socializes that is y we have no problem to mix around with her...

[Min Chun 0]

Jason, are u the 3rd one?

[Jason K 0]

 

 

 

Jason, are u the 3rd one?

 

Yes min chun i m the 3rd guy...

[Sanjay Thaker 0]

Congratulations Jason for your graduation!

[Jason K 0]

Congratulations Jason for your graduation!

 

Thansk Sanjay.....hehehe..

[Damian 0]

eh jason,when are you gonna belanja me makan lah...after so long then only see you...now graduated already somemore..hehe

[Jason K 0]

eh jason,when are you gonna belanja me makan lah...after so long then only see you...now graduated already somemore..hehe

 

 

Damian, I promise will belanja u makan but start online 1st la.....now with allowance tak cukup makan...cannot treat u at the moment...hehe..... anyway thanks a lot...by the way the news paper suppose to focus on aquila but.......hehe..