Taking Off With A Smile

She was just 21 when she earned her commercial pilot license after completing her training in Cape Town, South Africa, making her one of the youngest pilots from Hyderabad. Muskan Begum’s interest in aviation began early, sparked by watching planes touch down and leave from the city’s airport. “I imagined myself in the cockpit even as a child,” she says. “It started as a dream, and now it’s what I want to do professionally.”

She chose Cape Town for its reputed flight schools and exposure to diverse flying conditions. “The quality of instruction and the international flying experience were hard to match,” Muskan shares.

Her training was intensive, both mentally and physically. “Flying in different weather conditions, adapting quickly, and learning to make decisions mid-air was tough,” she says. “There were difficult days, but I kept going because I knew what I wanted.”

And living alone abroad came with a learning curve. “It was the first time I was entirely on my own. That forced me to take responsibility quickly,” she adds.

Muskan credits her family for providing steady support, especially when navigating the financial challenges of flight training. “They were on board from the beginning, which made it easier to stay focused.”

Asked about key moments from her training, she recalls her first solo flight as a turning point. “The instructor stepped out and I had to manage the entire flight independently — it was a big step in terms of confidence.”

While the number of young Indians entering aviation is growing, Muskan is aware that her real tests are yet to come — inside commercial cockpits, navigating routes and routines on a global scale. Back in India, she’s looking forward to flying high.