Around the world in 28 days
UAE-BASED PAKISTANI FAKHR-E-ALAM, A FORMER ACTOR AND POP STAR, IS FULFILLING HIS DREAM TO FLY AROUND THE WORLD
UAE-based Pakistani Fakhr-e-Alam, a former actor and pop star, is fulfilling his dream
All eyes were on the small, white plane emblazoned with the words “Dedicated to the people of Pakistan” as it landed at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. The excitement was high as the pilot in command, Fakhre-Alam, emerged from the single-engine plane and knelt down and kissed the ground.
A former Pakistani pop star and actor, Fakhr-e-Alam briefly visited his home country six days after the take-off for his mission to become the first Pakistani to fly around the world.
“Mission Parwaaz reporting from Karachi and what a great and wonderful experience! What a welcome I got here,” Alam exclaimed in a video from Karachi, where he was received by the governor of Sindh province, Imran Esmail, fellow celebrities and fans on October 16. In Islamabad, Pakistan President Dr Arif Alvi invited him for a meeting where Alam briefed him about his historic tour.
Alam kicked off the 28-day tour on October 10 in Clearwater, Florida (USA) — the city where his childhood dream of becoming a pilot was realised in 2015 when he got his private pilot licence. After touching 10 cities in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Alam began the Asia leg of his tour during which he is visiting the UAE, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, finally taking off for Australia from where he will continue to conclude his heroic journey in the same US city where he began.
Donning a khaki pilot’s suit adorned with a greenand-white Pakistan flag, Fakhr-e-Alam is the only pilot on the plane, but he has two passengers, Josh Breckeen of Tampa Bay Aviation and Kurt Roy of MoonJet, on board as he has fewer than 100 hours of flight experience.
One of the most surprising moments of the journey transpired in Cairo on October 14 where Alam arrived to find his wife and children waiting to greet him. What motivated him to take on the journey? “I want the world to know we are a resilient and peace loving nation,” he said.
With this journey of a lifetime, he also hopes to encourage aspiring pilots and advance Pakistan’s aviation industry. His inspiration comes from the three countries whose flags decorate the plane. Pakistan represents his beloved homeland, the UAE has been his second home for 15 years and the US, where his pilot dream became a reality. The 42-year-old is chronicling his journey online with updates, photos and videos on social media and website.
I want the world to know we are a resilient and peace loving nation”
Fakhr-e-Alam |
Pakistani pilot explaining why he undertook Misson Parwaaz