Etihad Airways lets six-year-old boy become pilot for a day
For most young boys, the dream career would be following Cristiano Ronaldo as the world’s best footballer, or a title-winning racing driver like Lewis Hamilton.
For those not totally sold on the idea of sports or pop stardom, becoming a pilot would be the perfect way to spend one’s adult years, soaring across the skies and wearing the distinctive uniform.
Adam Mohammad Amer, aged just six, has already turned his dreams into a reality after giving the pilots onboard a recent Morocco-Abu Dhabi flight a surprise.
Adam, of Egyptian-Moroccan origin, became a social media star after the encounter as flight captain Samer Yakhlef, with permission from the family, posted the video online and it soon gained more than 6 million views.
The reward for his devotion to aviation was an invite to the Etihad Airways Training Centre where he was handed a specially made uniform and underwent pilot training – including sessions in the Airbus A380 simulator.
His enthusiasm reminded Captain Majed Al Marzouqi, Etihad Airways Vice President Flight Operations, of his own ambitions to be a pilot from a young age.
He said Adam showed “incredible intellect and knowledge” and hoped the experience has encouraged him to pursue his passion when he is older.
