Singaporean Internet has been abuzz about Farhain Abu Bakar. She became Singapore's first Malay female commercial pilot in 2016, and just became the first Malay female commercial pilot captain in 2023. Farhain flies with Scoot.
Farhain's achievement is twice as impressive because she has overcome two different stereotypes of race and gender. Gender is arguably the more difficult one to overcome. Aviation is a traditionally male-dominated industry, although there have been other trailblazers who have opened the path for women in the skies.
First Commercial Pilot (1974): Teo Ah Hong
Ah Hong was the first woman in Singapore to qualify for a commercial pilot licence in 1974. Singapore Airlines rejected her application to be a trainee pilot in 1971, despite admitting that she had the right qualifications. SIA only wanted to hire male pilots. Ah Hong went on to become a pilot-instructor with Singapore General Aviation Services, and ended up as SIA's chief flying instructor in 1988. Gurl, you show them.
First Jet Fighter Pilot (2003): Khoo Tey Lynn
Tey Lynn was Singapore's first female jet fighter pilot. She got her private pilot's licence in JC2 in 1999, and joined the RSAF straight out of school. She secured her fighter pilot wings in 2003, at the age of 22! Maybe the F in F15 stands for female?
First Fighter Squadron Commander (2022): Lee Mei Yi
Mei Yi was the first woman to command a fighter squadron. Like Tey Lynn, she also joined the RSAF after A-levels. In 2022, she led the RSAF fighter team at the National Day Parade, at the age of 37.
What are the next milestones that Singapore's women pilots will achieve? Chief Pilot? Chief of Air Force? Pardon the pun, but the sky's the limit.
Have a story? No story is too small. Chat with us at sgtelltale@outlook.com
Comments