Hi! I’m your captain for today…..
“They say difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations, but for me, difficult airstrips lead to beautiful memories”
Hailing from a middle-class family and son to one of the most hardworking businessmen I have seen, I, Khawaja Shahzaib Ansar, have a story to tell, of how a boy who spent his youth in the two opposite cities, Karachi and Lahore respectively, managed to climb mountains that led to the destination where I stand. I am one of the youngest certified Commercial Pilot and an Entrepreneur of Lahore, and I will shed light on how my passion for aviation fueled my dedication and efforts to achieve the goals I once dreamed of.
How many of you let your childhood fascination and dreams dictate your future targets and goals? I don’t know many but if you are one of them, I congratulate you for sticking with what you genuinely wanted and can inspire you with renewed hope that one day you will stand unparalleled as the world applauds you for what you have achieved.
An overly-enthusiastic nine-year-old kid called Shahzaib was introduced to the mystical world of aviation through his flight from Lahore to Karachi, on a B747 operated by PIA, back in 2008. Hailing from Karachi, my eyes were accustomed to the boring and unattractive military, police, and Rangers uniform. Maybe that’s why I freaked out with joy at the very instant my eyes viewed the Captain marching towards the cockpit in his graceful uniform complementing his impressive personality. My gleaming eyes caught the attention of the captain who, to fulfill my curiosity and excitement, questioned if I would be interested in visiting the cockpit? Those were good times with limited security threats and the moment I entered that “HOLY” place, my heart fell in love with the complex machinery and panels controlling the monstrous plane. As a kid who was obsessed with “Phineas and Ferb”, this sight had an unexplainable affect on me and was powerful enough to kindle a fire inside me that lasted for more than 10 years until I entered the first plane with my instructor.
With the support of my parents, I was able to secure an admission in one of the best Flying Institutes in Pakistan called “Hybrid Aviation”. At that particular period, I was enrolled for my A level Exams, and the thought of attempting the daunting examination while managing my aviation courses was fairly frightening for a 17-year-old teenager who hadn’t even turned into an adult yet. Despite being one of the best athletes with an ideal physical condition, the medical tests from CMH before being declared fit for flying shook me to the core because all of my dreams and aspirations could easily end before they even took off. Receiving my medical certificate was a massive achievement and I secretly even danced with joy in my room as it was the platform after which I had the skies to take on.
However, life is not that simple. Despite my enthusiasm for the profession, I was caught between the two worlds as Aviation alongside regular schooling was no child’s play. I would sleepily take my morning classes at school and rush to Walton Airport for my Pilots Ground School. Aside from the difficulty associated with acing subjects like Maths, Physics, IT, and Urdu, I had to make many sacrifices at a personal level. Cricket is a sport I live and breathe. Every day I would receive text messages from Faaiz if I would like to play with him and declining almost every other request made me feel guilty as I was his partner in crime when it came to playing the sport we both were passionate about. Moreover, I had to skip many get together plans as well as Cricket matches but I used to make it up to my friends by promising them free joyrides on a plane once I finally earned a license.
A trip to the cockpit wasn’t the only reason why I went for this field as my Nana was a prominent source of inspiration who served PIA for a decent tenure of almost 30 years. Nevertheless, I finally, with the prayers and support of my parents, flew my first flight on 17th March 2018. The fact that I was the only one amongst all of my relatives who were on the verge of becoming a pilot served as the cherry on top as my will to achieve this mammoth task only sky-rocketed. As a pilot, we have to go through a series of testation and complete an hour limit before we can be declared as a certified pilot. Allhumdulliah! With the Grace of Allah Almighty, the passion driving my actions and the inner flair for success helped me achieved multiple records in General Aviation as I was credited for one of the fastest Solo Flight. This incredible feat would not have been possible without the help of my experienced instructor Capt Tahami and support from Capt Marwan Rao.
You may be surprised that I was holding a “Private Pilot” License before qualifying for a car driving license! Now moving onto Commercial Pilots license which was the real deal.
At that time, Aviation Industry in Pakistan was booming and new airlines were opening up, bringing employment opportunities with them. This development was fairly promising as I began speculating a future where I was flying an A380 for Emirates Airlines. Moreover, at the same time, I also had the privilege to fly from Karachi to Lahore on a C-152 which was a personal achievement. It was a collective 9 hr journey flying from Karachi to Nawab Shah to Rahim Yar Khan to Multan and landing finally in Lahore. It was the best journey in my training days. On 26th November, I completed my Commercial Pilot Check Ride and was finally awarded my license. For a 19-year-old, that was a dream come true! Ironically, till that age I was no way near getting a girlfriend or flexing about my university (what other people of my age were doing) but was capable enough to explore the horizon, the Zenith all on my own. As promised, I even invited Faaiz, one of my closest friends for a flight, and I can easily say that he won’t be flying with me anytime soon after the comedy of errors we both committed.
To claim that all of this was my success is an understatement as the unmatched support provided by my parents only harnessed my vigor for achieving the heights I once dreamed of. However, their struggle hasn’t ended as I am still looking for a job which is way more complicated than what an Econ, BBA, or CS major would face. There are only two ways to enter PIA. Either through a cadet pilot program or by completing a flight instructor course so that you teach other young pilots and accumulate hours because you graduated with 200 hours under your belt but reputable airlines require minimum experience of 1500+ hours before you are eligible to apply.
However, Corona announced its arrival by destroying the Global Aviation Industry as pilots were sacked to prevent further losses for falling airlines. I was on the verge of joining my dream Aviation school in Canada after being blessed with an acceptance letter but they closed their borders for us. The aviation industry crashed leaving thousands of people unemployed. It was a huge setback! Automatically, I began fearing that the millions my parents invested in my training would go down the drain. As a 20-year-old male, I decided it’s better to act rather than procrastinating until I am gifted a job, therefore, I diverted my attention towards business.
On 1st June 2020, I started my own business alongside my elder brother Jazib, by the name “Prism Masterbatches”. It’s related to color pigments used in plastic manufacturing. I had to utilize my free time during the Corona break, and I was able to generate impressive profits. Moreover, to further enhance my Aviation CV, I started my Flight Instructor course at Hybrid Aviation, hoping that one day the industry bounces back. With so much on my shoulders, you can expect me to claim that being an adult is not an easy job. Even in such horrific times, when you are highly demotivated, my strength was my parents. I was heartbroken seeing my future getting destroyed. Apart from that the Fake License scandal which was handled in the most barbarous manner, destroyed the credibility of Pakistani Pilots throughout the world, bringing shame to the most prestigious profession. It was a major dent! Many pilots lost their jobs on false allegations. Pakistani pilots faced embarrassment from their colleagues. I remember fighting wars on Facebook etc with people who may have never stepped inside an airplane but were assuming that they’re aviation experts, passing judgments which were debasing.
Only those, who saw my struggle, came out in defense. In the end, hardworking pilots like us had to face the music in front of our relatives who considered it their amusement to call us fake, etc. I was emotionally broken and had reached rock bottom. I tried to explain it to my friend that it’s like investing all your four years for an ECON degree at LUMS and realizing the world doesn’t need Economics once you graduated. I cried on that day and I can’t even remember the last time I cried for something dearest to me. This profession is something I’m very proud of and seeing it getting humiliated is even worse. Thank you “Team Hybrid Aviation” in helping me achieve my goals with your support looking forward to a brighter future.
