Woman Afghan AF Pilot Seeks Asylum
 

It'll be interesting to see how this turns out. Her minders at home aren't likely all that happy about her actions. Now that she's tipped her hand, it may be very problematic for her to go home without experiencing some "official" expression of disapproval.

Our esteemed First Lady and State Department have praised and championed Capt. Rahmani. We'll see where these effusive supporters are now:


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/op...pgtype=article

If you read the article and if she says is true , I do not blame her.
She is obviously a very bright young lady, and guts she has. both ways. Going back to her Country after training and face hard facts or worse when the Taliban take over ( only a question of time ) or not going and facing shame and hard critics right now.
The choice was probably not easy to make. I really wish her the best and hope for her this ends well.

"If you read the article and if she says is true , I do not blame her. "

ATC Watcher,

Nor would I. Her fears are likely reasonable.

Sometimes these folks just vanish..or try to:


Air Force: Missing Afghan trainees were about to graduate - WALB.com, South Georgia News, Weather, Sports

Though i appreciate her position and in the same place would probably do the exact same thing. But, What exactly did she think the risk would be as a female air force pilot in the AAF? Its not exactly a 'duh' difiicult answer

"What exactly did she think the risk would be as a female air force pilot in the AAF?"

semperfubar,

Yep, gutsy move. But where there's risk there can be rewards. She's pretty high profile with her plan. Maybe Chairman Barack will come to her rescue with asylum...maybe not.

She's been at it for a while now:

http://www.shughal.com/meet-niloofar...the-air-force/

Why so much animosity towards her? And your comments about 'Charman Barack' are more appropriate to Jet Blast (or play school) than to here.

She`d make a great FAC for the USAF.

" Why so much animosity towards her?"

Nemrytter,

If you're asking me, I'm not sure where you saw animosity in anything I said about her. I'm actually rootin' for her. :-)

Obama will need to intervene on her behalf and should since his wife and administration have advocated for her previously.

My pilot's license made me think I could do anything also. It wasn't true. I was still a C student with too many expectations.

"She`d make a great FAC for the USAF."

Missing the "blanks" of "blank"?

An Afghan colleague from years ago was a very young B-727 captain for Ariana, the Afghan airline. At some point, I think in the mid-1980's, he and his crew and some family members 'repurposed without authorization' a parked '72, got it fueled and flew it to Rome where they were granted asylum by U.S. embassy officials. It appeared to be a pre-arranged deal from the circumstances.

I haven't found a lot online about the incident but expat Afghans of that era seem to remember it well.

My former Afghan colleague recently retired as a Delta captain. :ok:

A young lady from Pakistan undertook a somewhat similar arduous path to fly in the USA. While not under quite such dramatic circumstances as the Afghan lady, still quite a trek against serious societal pressure. IIUC, she now flies for a US legacy carrier:


https://www.scribd.com/doc/276537111...0150708#scribd

"Delta Air Lines Boeing 757/767 Type Rating Certificate Scholarships
Sheila Dill, Ohio
Fatima Shafi, New York"

I think the scholarship actually ended up being for the B777 due to availability of training slots.

https://www.wai.org/scholarship/winners/2015

"My former Afghan colleague recently retired as a Delta captain."

Airbubba,

Is he O-DL or F-NW ?

Heck of a story.

Ex-PAA, was number one newhire on the Pan Am seniority list in 1987. Initials MB.

When you originate from a fundamentalist state where the basic education of women is deemed to be an offence to Allah requiring schools to be burned down with the little girls still sat inside them, it should come as no surprise that on receiving her pilot's wings she was promised a real set of wings and a cloud to go with them.

The process of civilising places such as Afghanistan will outlive our great-grandchildren and I for one do not blame this talented young woman for deciding she doesn't want to wait.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/25/wo...pgtype=article


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/17/wo...pgtype=article

Well if her male colleagues say it's not true then of course it isn't.:rolleyes:

They stopped paying her when she got there and months later is anyone surprised she doesn't want to go back!?

Niloofar Rahmani seems to have dropped off radar. I find nothing about her online since late 2016. It'd be interesting to see how she's made out in her effort under the new US administration.

She is still waiting for her asylum request to be considered by the state department. Could take months.

Devil's advocate: Isn't it cowardice or desertion to join your nation's armed forces and then refuse to go back and fight for your own people once you have seen the benefits of a cushy number in America?