A day with Garuda pilot Ida Fiqriah

A day with Garuda pilot Ida Fiqriah

Of the 612 pilots at national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia,
Ida Fiqriah, 23, is one of two women, and the youngest flying the
fleet of Boeing 737-300, -400 and -500 aircraft. A native of
Jakarta, she lives in Petukangan Utara, South Jakarta, with her
parents, two younger sisters and one brother.

JAKARTA (JP): "When I wake in the morning, the first thought
that enters my mind is one of gratitude and I thank God that I am
still alive. I love the morning; I feel fresh and invigorated
when I wake up, which is at 5:00 if I am not flying. As I am
Muslim, I must say the morning prayer. Afterward, I do some
stretching exercises and sometimes go for a brisk walk outside.
It's necessary in my line of work to be fit and I enjoy working
out anyway.

Then I have breakfast, usually some fried rice, with my
brother and sisters before they go to school. If I am not on a
flight, I just stay at home and read the Kompas and Media
Indonesia newspapers and Kartini and Gatra magazines. I like to
read women's magazines and also to watch the news on television.

I love my house and my bedroom is my favorite place in the
world. I've got a queen-size bed. There is nowhere as good as my
room; it's my private place.

If I'm on a flight, I'm picked up three hours beforehand,
usually at 3:00 a.m. I don't mind getting up so early because my
body rhythm is used to it and I will have gone to bed before 9:00
the previous evening anyway.

I must go to the crew report counter at Cengkareng and then to
flight dispatch to check the flight time, weather and if there is
any special information I need to know about. Then I discuss this
with the captain and the crew. We talk about what we need to do
for the passengers. After that, we check the fuel and the flight
plan and go to the gate. We have two offices in Cengkareng, one
is for ground preparation and the other for flight preparation.

We walk around the interior of the plane and check it out
thoroughly. Then we are ready for boarding.

I've been flying with Garuda for two years. When I was small,
I used to dream about flying, and then, in high school, I decided
I wanted a career that was exciting and realized that flying
really was for me. I enrolled in a flying academy in Jakarta and
afterward, when I graduated, applied to Garuda and was accepted.

There's not much time to think about things when you are
flying miles above the earth; I just concentrate on doing my
best.

People often ask me if I get scared when I am flying. When I
was training with Garuda I was taught to control my fear. You've
got to be fit, both physically and mentally to deal with it.

I fly both domestic and international routes. The
international ones include Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore and
Darwin and Cairns in Australia -- all on 737's.

Always, before I enter the cockpit, I think about what would
happen if my life ended and I put myself in God's hands. During
the flight I watch the instruments and handle my fear. I check
and cross check. But sometimes I get scared -- as does the
captain.

The worst situations I've been in have been landings in bad
weather. Approaching landing position is a dangerous time. If we
encounter bad weather, then it's difficult. But landing is
difficult and a critical time anyway. Take off is also a critical
time, but I love it. I watch the instruments and the distance to
the end of the runway in case there is an emergency -- but the
feeling I get when the nose rises is great.

When the plane is at cruising altitude, and the autopilot is
on, I take a rest. But we still have to keep an eye on the
instruments. Sometimes, I talk to the captain about where he
lives, his family and we talk about our lives.

I haven't come across any bad incidents with passengers, no
air rage or anything like that. But sometimes small children can
cause a bit of disruption with their screaming and crying. But
it's not much bother.

Sometimes, in social circumstances, people don't believe that
I am a pilot. Once, when I was out with my friends, I bumped into
an old high school friend I hadn't seen for a few years. He asked
me what I was doing and when I told him I was working with
Garuda, he assumed I was a flight attendant. When I told him I
was a pilot, he didn't believe me. I understand this kind of
reaction though, as, in Indonesia, it is not usual for a woman to
be a pilot.

I don't, however, encounter any difficulties in the workplace.
When I was training, everybody just accepted me. There have been
no problems at all, and I hope it will stay that way.

When I am on an international flight, I feel quite tired when
I arrive at the destination. I have to rest for a while to get my
energy back. Then I watch some television and maybe walk about a
bit.

I don't miss my family when I am abroad as the cabin crew is
my family too. We usually meet up in one of our hotel rooms and
sit about chatting. But I do look forward to returning home --
Jakarta is my favorite destination.

I don't have a boyfriend at the moment. I think I am too young
to have one anyway. But if I was looking, religion would have to
come first; he would have to be Muslim. That's the most important
thing. I want to have children at some point in the future and
combine having a family with my career. Someday, I hope I can
captain a 747 -- that's my goal.

I don't really worry about my health when I am flying --
except for the UV rays from the sun. To combat the radiation, I
wear a clear, natural foundation to screen out the rays, so you
wouldn't know I was wearing it at all. As for airline food,
despite what many passengers say, I enjoy it. Mainly because I'm
not that choosy about food anyway.

If I am at home, I have dinner about 7 p.m. I like to eat
pindang bandeng (a fish dish) -- it's my favorite. I like Western
food like pizza, too.

In the evenings, I like listening to slow, romantic music. I
love classical music because it helps me to relax. Sometimes I go
to the movies. The last movie I saw was The Story of Us -- it was
good. I don't really like going out to cafes or anywhere else. I
prefer to spend time with my family.

Last thing at night, when I put my head on the pillow, I think
about what I did during the day and then nod off into a dreamless
sleep." (as told to William Furney)