With a grade point average of 97.8 (which works out at 99 overall), Hend was not short of scholarship offers when she graduated from a government school. However, this bright Bahraini had always been interested in aviation and wanted to be a pilot.
Her dad, however, despite working in the field himself, said he would support her in virtually any career but not aviation! “My father worked in aviation but he was not supportive; he didn’t understand that it could be a good career for a female,” says Hend. “He actually wanted me to be a doctor but I have always wanted to be in aviation – it’s like an addiction.” Her father did later change his mind!
Fortuitously, she heard about a new programme set up by Tamkeen and Bahrain Airport Services offering scholarships in aircraft engineering. Without telling anyone, she turned down her other offers and applied. Out of 500 hopefuls, she was one of just 30 to be chosen for the four-year course.
Following two years of theory, she embarked on two years with Gulf Air, as the only female trainee at the time. She says: “As a woman in this field, I had to give twice as much as the men to prove myself.
“I spent that whole two years virtually the whole time at the airport and, in the end, I qualified for my licence ahead of time because I had the necessary hours.”
In fact, at just 22, she qualified with both B1 – mechanical (aircraft structure, powerplant and mechanical and electrical systems) and later B2 – avionics (communications, navigation, radar, instrument and electrical systems) parts of the licence.
She was Gulf Air’s youngest engineer and says: “At the age of 23, I was signing off my first planes.” This means that as the aircraft engineer, she would be certifying the planes’ fitness to fly.
Working with the national carrier, she flew around the world as the planes have to be checked and signed off before each take-off. Over 10 years of 12-hour days, one thing she was careful about was to make time for herself and preserve her sense of femininity, saying: “It’s really important to take time out. I don’t think it’s necessary to become masculine to succeed in a man’s world. You don’t have to have the short hair and short nails, unless that’s what you really want. You can still look like a woman, get your hair done, visit the salon – it’s about ability to do the job.”
Interest in her role has led to TV and media appearances which, in turn, inspired an Instagram account @hend_alawadhi where she shares pictures and lifestyle advice with her 24,000 followers. She says: “I love fashion, so that was a part of it, but I felt it was important because I would often get young girls and women asking me ‘How did you do it?’ and my answer to them is always ‘You have to shut out the negative voices and concentrate on whatever it is that you really want.’
“A lot of girls give up and it’s not because they are not smart or capable but because of how men or society will treat them – I’ve been to television appearances where they’re convinced I’m the stylist, not the engineer. A pilot once refused to take my word to sign off a plane and I told him ‘OK, then you better leave, this is my aircraft and I’m responsible for it.’
“I was not that woman 12 years ago when I started out and I don’t really know how I continued sometimes. I’ve heard a lot of things that could have made me give up; specially in our society, it’s not easy being the only woman in the room. I think the main thing that helped me was that I just didn’t listen to the comments and got on with the job.
And I don’t find this from the younger generation; things are changing a lot.”
These days she is with the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications as a senior airworthiness inspector, the only woman to hold the position.
And, not content with making history, she also has her own fashion store selling interesting pieces she picks up on her travels. She explains: “I started out bringing things back for family and friends and then decided to start my own collection.” She only offers three pieces of each item but the collection is semi-on hold at the moment as Hend is considering increasing the scale to a more commercial operation.
A new salon is the latest addition to her portfolio and future plans include travelling around the world. However, for now, the newly-wed, who postponed her nuptials twice due to work commitments, is turning her attention to the all-important business of starting a family.
And, what if her own daughter decided to go for a ‘way-out’ career? “I’d support her 110 per cent,” says Hend. “In fact, if she wanted to go for a regular option, I’d ask her to try thinking outside the box!
“As women, we often look to what’s expected of us and that holds us back from doing great things – the most important thing we have to do is support each other!”
