MAS GETS FIRST 3 FEMALE PILOTS
Malaysians breaking into male-dominated profession
THREE Malaysians have broken gender stereotypes by being the first female pilots with Malaysia Airlines. In an industry where women mostly work as flight attendants or ground staff, Pearl Wendy Mak, Wang Wen Chien and Nur Waie Hidayah Mohamad Rasidin have taken a job mainly associated with men.
According to estimates by the International Society of Women Pilots last year, only 3,000 out of 130,000 pilots in the world were female.
Captain Mak, 50, who has been flying for 25 years, said flying an aircraft was not an easy job, but women were making inroads into sectors which were previously men’s domains.
She has worked with seven foreign airlines before deciding to return home.
Mak initially wanted to be an aircraft engineer, then toyed with the idea of becoming a flight engineer. However, when told that the flight engineer’s role was becoming obsolete, she took up flying.
“So long as you do your part, work as a team, you will not be seen as a man or woman, but just a pilot.”
Her advice to women who want to take up the challenge in the aviation industry is that they should understand and love the industry, besides being disciplined and motivated.
“Study hard and perfect your skills.
“You may eventually become a commander or be allowed to fly bigger planes,” said Mak, whose twin sister is also into flying.
Second Officer Wang’s dream of becoming a pilot started when her father took her for a one-day pilot course in Subang when she was 15.
“The pilot, who was seated next to me, taught me some manoeuvres and it was amazing.”
Wang earned her wings in Sydney, Australia, and completed her conversion course at the Malaysian Flying Academy in 2016 before joining MAS as a cadet pilot in August last year.
Her advice to young women who want to take to the skies: go for it.
“Do what you like, it may not be easy at first, but never give up.”
She said she hoped to become a captain in eight years’ time.
She said she did not find being in a male-dominated profession a problem, and did not see it as a glamorous job.
“As a pilot, one has to work different hours and days.
“We have to do quick transits, about 45 minutes, meaning we have to start the return journey quickly.”
Nur Waie Hidayah, 21, a MAS cadet pilot since December, was inspired by her father, a pilot.
“I grew up in Abu Dhabi, where my father is based.
“After graduating from high school in 2013, I returned to Malaysia and went to a flying school in Melaka.”
Mak, Wang and Nur Waie Hidayah were among 111 pilots and cabin crew honoured at the MAS crew graduation ceremony on Aug 11.
In his speech, Malaysia Airlines Group chief executive officer Captain Izham Ismail said: “I am proud that for the first time, MAS has three amazing and strong women graduating as pilots today.
“It is my hope that the future of MAS includes many more female captains.”
Malaysia Airlines recently started its female pilot programme.
It has 2,286 cabin crew and 927 pilots operating its fleet of B737800, A330-300, A330-200, A350-900 and A380-800.
Izham said MAS was facing a shortage of pilots, especially for its narrow-body B737-800, which had led to operational constraints and would have an impact on its growth.
“We need an additional 150 pilots. That is a challenge as MAS sets the bar for a qualifying captain at 4,500 flying hours, 1,000 more than the industry average.”