DIVERSITY IN AVIATION PERSPECTIVE FROM A “CLOUD MAKER” When Mohamed Farag was a five-year-old boy in his native homeland of Egypt, he saw three planes in the sky leaving three contrails parallel to one another. Later in the day, he saw three long stretched clouds that were parallel and had a five-year-old “ah ha” moment: planes make clouds, and the people who fly the planes are “cloud makers.” Mohamed announced that when he grew up, he wanted to be a cloud maker. And that’s exactly what he did. The Farag family moved to the U.S. when Mohamed was 12 so that he could learn fluent English and pursue flight training at a U.S. university. He graduated from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and, in January 2017, was hired at Republic Airways where he works as a First Officer. We sat down with the “cloud maker” to get his thoughts on being a pilot, specifically his firsthand perspective about diversity in aviation.
How have you experienced diversity in the aviation industry, from flight training to working as a pilot for Republic? “During my flight training, I saw quite a bit of diversity with many international students. Only the students who have U.S. citizenship were able to work with U.S. carriers, however, which means many of them return home when their training is complete. Also, it was still very male dominated. “While gender diversity is changing in the airlines, it’s still at a low percentage. One good sign, however, is that we have higher gender diversity compared to other regions in the world. The top three U.S. airline carriers are the top three airlines worldwide with gender diversity. Schools like LIFT Academy and airlines like Republic are now showing ads with female pilots and male flight attendants, challenging old stereotypes and changing the way they recruit. “On the line, I usually fly with a nontraditional pilot once a month or so. I believe as the older generation of pilots age and retire, I will see more and more pilots with unique family origins and stories.”
Have you experienced any issues as a pilot due to your heritage? And what advice would you give to young people who think they can’t be a pilot because they don’t “fit in?” “As an Arabic boy who moved to the States a few years after 9/11, my ambition of flying planes was often met with a long silent stare or an unpleasant comment. I used those opportunities to engage in conversation to help those people have a better understanding and admiration toward my goal and passion for aviation. “I don’t face any challenges currently due to my ethnicity. I would say it is now an advantage! Airlines are striving to break conventional molds of what a crew should be. If I interviewed with an airline now, my ethnicity and religion would no longer be a deterrent—they would enjoy seeing it and analyze my skills as a pilot solely. “To those young men and women who are told they aren’t pilot material, I would say this: ‘Don’t believe it!’ Nothing is stopping you from sitting in the cockpit and flying an aircraft in your future. There are challenges along the way, but it’s up to you to overcome them and put the work in.
