A Pilot’s Life: Ali Bakar

In this special AvGeek series, Flight Chic guest writer Rida Khan has candid conversations with pilots who share their passion for flight and what inspired them to pursue a life in the clouds.

To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love flying, the sky is home. Once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards. There you find your wings. All you have to do is FLY.

Ali Bakar is a Turkish Pilot, born in Turkey and living in Istanbul. Becoming a pilot was his childhood dream. He finished his Master Degree and went for 2 years training to become a Pilot. He started to fly as a Type rating Boeing 737 First Officer.

Q: Was becoming a pilot your dream? How did your family support and motivate you as you pursued your passion for flight?

Bakar: Just qualifying to start the training for this job requires a lot of hard work. It’s a long process to pass. You should be ambitious and always look for a challenge in your life, I think. At least, that’s true for me. I had a good job before starting training, my income and the other benefits were nice, but I was not happy. In my heart, I felt that I was in a restricted environment. Since I started flying I am free and enjoying every second of it.

Q: How would you characterise your career as a young pilot?

Bakar: Everyday I am learning something new, to build a knowledge pyramid, both from my friends and my captains. As young as you are, there are a lot of things to know in aviation—not just theoretical things but also in practice. It has no end. Whole your life you have to study and continue to learn.

Q: Are there any memorable moments that you want to share of your training period while becoming a pilot?

Bakar: My first flights were not easy for me at the beginning of the training because my instructor’s teaching style was different and we couldn’t get along with him. But thankfully our team leader, Mr Roschmann, realised the problem and changed my instructor. At the end of the training, I was one of the best in our fleet. A lot of people helped me during training, from my instructors to my friends and family but Mr Roschmann had the biggest impact on me. I still talk with him time to time and tell him how much I appreciate him. Actually, all of my 18 friends from the training class, we all have big respect for him.

Q: How you manage yourself, being away from your family, since starting your flying career?

Bakar: It was not so bad for me to be away from my family because I also took my university education away from them. I can say that I got used to it. But of course, I would choose to be close to them.

[ends]

After speaking with Pilot Ali Bakar, it’s clear that he believes success is closely tied to effort. You have to do your best to become the best.

Guest writer Rida Khan is a foodie blogger with a hunger for a big slice of the skies. A native of Bhopal, India, Khan writes about food and aviation and is working on an airline in-flight food research project. She also posts healthy food recipes for pilots and travellers on social media.