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Reach for the sky: How an Emirati air race pilot achieved his dream
euronews (in English)
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26/01/2023
Explore how a Flying Academy teen achieved his dream: Husam Gamal tells Euronews how his career as a qualified air race pilot took off.
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Transcript
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00:00
I joined the flying academy when I was 15.
00:03
From the first day I knew that this was my thing.
00:05
The interesting part would come during the solo flight, which is your first flight alone.
00:11
And that was something that I'll never forget in my life.
00:17
I was so scared.
00:19
It is more of a mental game.
00:21
The noise of the engines.
00:23
I tried to listen to what she wants to tell me.
00:25
I just could feel it, you know, I felt it in my body.
00:27
My brain accepted it so much that I was like, I can go quite far with this.
00:38
The fact you're flying over the UAE, where I'm from, where I lived all my life, it built
00:43
a very, very special emotions between me and flying in general.
00:47
Then I graduated at the age of 17 as the youngest pilot in the UAE.
00:51
In 2013, I was introduced to aerobatics.
00:54
Aerobatics is basically aviation sporting.
00:56
You fly special types of aircraft that is capable of flying in an unusual attitude.
01:01
I decided this is where I want to go.
01:03
So I started training more and more.
01:05
In 2015, I decided that I want to compete.
01:08
It was my first competition.
01:09
I scored last.
01:10
You really need experience.
01:12
And that comes with you breaking your neck at least 20 times.
01:16
And that's actually what I was aiming for, is just to compete more and learn more and
01:20
to gain that confidence.
01:22
When I started, when I used to fly, my legs were shaking.
01:24
In 2018, it was not.
01:26
So we went for the Spanish competition, and I scored the first in the four programs.
01:32
And the overall score, I got the first.
01:35
One week after, I got an email that I'm invited for a training camp by Red Bull to be a qualified
01:40
air racer, which is any pilot's dream.
01:44
We were five days training camp.
01:45
Everything was different.
01:46
It was much faster, and you have to fly between an air gates, pylons, those big balloons.
01:52
I remember that day, I was flying fourth, and before I jump into the plane, my coach
01:57
at that time say, "The plane fits between the pylons.
02:01
He said, "Just keep this in your mind."
02:04
I come up with good power, speed.
02:07
Just before entering the gate, I just pull out and fly away.
02:11
I was like, "No way.
02:13
It won't fit.
02:14
I'm going to hit the balloon."
02:15
So I decided to land.
02:17
My coach said, "Finish.
02:18
You go back home."
02:19
I was like, "There is no chance.
02:20
I'll do it."
02:21
I was like, "Okay, I'm going to fly as fast as possible.
02:25
I'm just going to take that gate."
02:27
When I passed that gate, the feeling that I had was that I own this world.
02:31
So they told me that I qualified, and they told me, "You're going to be a Red Bull air
02:34
race pilot."
02:35
Unfortunately, COVID happened that year.
02:38
That's when I decided to take a break.
02:41
And now I'm back to the sport again.
02:42
This time, it comes with the support of X2Bike.
02:45
With that support, I am definitely going back to compete.
02:49
And this time, I'm aiming and looking forward for the world championship.
02:53
And I'm also going for the first.
02:55
[MUSIC PLAYING]
02:58
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