Munzarin Raian on the challenges of being a pilot

Munzarin Raian, the first female first-officer of Dreamliner, started training right after her O' Levels. She flew for the first time at the age of 17. The airplane was a Cessna 152. Till date, she has flown for over 2,500 hours.

In her career span, she has been a private and commercial pilot in Bangladesh Flying Club. In Biman Bangladesh Airlines she has played the roles of a cadet pilot, a first officer of Dash 8 Q400, Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

She describes her job as challenging. "I always have to stay alert and well aware all the time during flight," she says.  She also has to always communicate with the air traffic controllers, thinking and planning about the steps to take if something goes wrong. "I have to be prepared for engine issues and turbulent weather conditions," she says.  "The main goal is to conduct the flight as safely and smoothly as possible."

Munzarin considers herself to be a lifelong learner. "I learn something new every day on this job and I take it as a challenge rather than a roadblock," she explains.

She further shared her experiences of being a trainee.  "One time, the radio communication failed when I was coming from Comilla to Dhaka. My father was with me as he was my basic instructor and we followed the special procedure and landed back to Dhaka safely," she adds. She is currently a BBA student at North South University.

Munzarin believes that great things can be accomplished when we come out of our comfort zones. "Nothing comes easy in life. Success is a combination of luck, effort and ability," she adds.