Reach for the sky: How an Emirati air race pilot achieved his dream

euronews (in English)

Explore how a Flying Academy teen achieved his dream: Husam Gamal tells Euronews how his career as a qualified air race pilot took off.

Transcript

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 you

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