Flying high: Afghan woman youngest ever to take solo round-the-world flight

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Flying high: Afghan woman youngest ever to take solo round-the-world flight

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(Web Desk) - An Afghan-American woman is breaking all barriers by taking a solo round-the-world flight.

Twenty nine-year-old Shaesta Waiz aims to be the youngest female pilot to complete a possibly record-breaking flight around the world. Born in an Afghan refugee camp in 1987 during the soviet war, she escaped with her family and moved to the United States. She realised that she had a passion for flying and obtained her pilot’s license, becoming the youngest certified civilian female pilot from Afghanistan.

Waiz started her journey in a single-engine plane from Daytona Beach, Florida which will take her to 18 countries across 5 continents.

She has plans to make 34 stops around the world including Europe, Thailand, India, and Australia. The trip is expected to go on for 90 days covering 25,800 kilometres until she travels back to Florida.

Initially, Waiz did not intend to visit Afghanistan but she has made a detour to visit her homeland, BBC reported. She told reporters that she was excited to visit the country of her birth. "It s been almost 29 years. To come back to the country as a pilot who is flying around the world to inspire others - it makes me really happy to be here," she said.

Growing up in an underprivileged area of Richmond, California, she said it wasn’t until she discovered aviation that she started thinking about going to college and having a career. She said “aviation gave me a sense of purpose” and hopes her journey will inspire girls to love aviation as much as she does.

Brought up in California, Shaesta Waiz aims to return back to Afghanistan. Courtesy: AFP

After realising her dream, Waiz founded a non-profit organisation called ‘Dreams Soar’ and wants her flight around the world to help inspire girls and young women to pursue science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education.

“I hope that the world will take note and appreciate an Afghan woman going around the world and doing something brave.”

Despite living in the United States for almost 30 years, Waiz says she has every intention of going back and resettling in her homeland. "In a couple of years I have every intention of coming back here and maybe opening a flight school or doing something so that women can experience aviation in Afghanistan," she told BBC.

"Women are suffering here a lot," she added. "I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be educated, to find something that I love which is flying and it breaks my heart because I know there are a lot of girls my age who haven t had the opportunities.