Photo: Shams Shahriyar

“Ever since my childhood I have been surrounded by aircrafts and pilots, since my Dad is a pilot himself. He used to be a fighter pilot in Bangladesh Air Force and later, after he retired, he opted to become an airline pilot. I used to watch him go for work in his uniform and I couldn't wait to have a uniform of my own someday,” shares Rashik Bin Manzur.

Rashik joined Bangladesh Flying Club in August 2008, as soon as he was of age. While a member of the Flying Club, he completed his A'levels and joined North South University. At the same time he also appeared in the exams held by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh for his Private Pilot's License and his Commercial Pilot's Licence (CPL) and complete his flying hours' requirement.

He finally got his CPL in 2010.  Rashik got his license to fly at the age of 18 and started flying as a full fledged First Officer when he was only 21 years old, which would be considered quite an early age to do so.

Right after receiving his license, Rashik applied to Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which was recruiting Cadet Pilots at the time, and was selected. “I am currently waiting for the final call from Biman and my training to start. Meanwhile, I am working for United Airways to gain some experience and it has been great,” says Rashik.

Starting off at such a young age, Rashik still feels every thrill of being a pilot. “I absolutely love what I do. The destination changes every time, and that's what excites me so much. And most importantly, sometimes auto pilot can be my best friend!” shares Rashik.

But being a pilot also has its rough sides, “Sometimes I am not able to celebrate important occasions, including Eid, with my friends and family. And since ground-to-air calling is still not very easy, sometimes I receive important information really late and I am not able to provide my support in a family emergency,” says Rashik.

 “If time permits, I would love to get a Masters degree from one of the top universities abroad, just to be able to compete globally on a larger scale,” shares Rashik. “My plan is to become a successful entrepreneur in the future,” he adds. Despite that, soaring through the skies is something he doesn't plan on giving up. “I want to carry on flying for as long as possible. One day, I want to be inside the cockpit of a 787-Dreamliner, flying it to different places across the world!”