A female Turkish pilot has called it a “dream” to share a cockpit with her father after she followed him in taking to the skies.
Buse Koksal, 30, whose Instagram pictures include her flying a Boeing 737, said she used to dream of becoming a pilot like her dad Ufuk Koksal, 57, when she was a girl, and she has fulfilled her goal and has now even piloted next to him on a commercial flight.
She admits she almost gave up on the dream after her father told her about the difficulties related to the profession, and suggested she opt for a different career, and Buse enrolled in a computer engineering course at Izmir University in 2009 as a result.
After graduating from university in 2014, Buse then started work as a software developer with a local company.
However, she could never shirk her passion for flying and she soon quit her job and told her father that she wanted to go to the USA to train as a pilot.
Ufuk accepted his daughter’s decision and provided the necessary support for her training.
After completing her training in the USA and obtaining her license, Buse returned to Turkey in June 2018.
After applying to the airline company where his father works, she became a pilot in 2019 after successfully passing the interviews.
It was not long until the young woman fulfilled her childhood dream and flew alongside her father.
Buse said: “When I was little, I used to wear my father’s uniform and run around the house shouting ‘I’m flying’. Flying was my passion.”
She also said she is grateful for “experiencing the privilege of flying with my dad and the incredible feeling that gave me”.
She added: “My dad is my greatest teacher, my childhood hero. It is an indescribable feeling to work in the same profession with my father, who I trust very much.
“When I carried out my first flight, my father was also flying to Trabzon. I was surprised and so happy when he said ‘good landing, girl’ on the radio.
“I can say it was one of the most memorable moments of my life.”
Ufuk said: “I am proud of my daughter. I can objectively say that she is a very good pilot.
“Being able to fly with my daughter and being in the same cockpit is an indescribable and wonderful feeling. We have experienced something that is rare in the world. I continue to share my experiences with my daughter. Sometimes when we sit together, when we eat at home, we talk about flights, about our experiences. It’s so nice to share these stories with a colleague who is also my daughter.”
