Dreams Soar: Making Dreams a Reality for Women Seeking Aviation Careers: Many industrialized nations are facing a shortage of qualified candidates to fill science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) roles in the coming decade. The same holds true for aviation too. One woman hopes to help change that.Shaesta Waiz, the first Afghan female to become a certified general aviation pilot, has set her sights on inspiring young women around the globe to actively pursue challenging yet rewarding STEM-related careers, including those in the aviation industry. And what better way to inspire these women than to lead by example?Shaesta, with the help of numerous partners worldwide, will embark on a special mission called Dreams Soar – a solo, around-the-world flight beginning on Saturday, May 13, 2017. She will take off from Sheltair Aviation at Daytona Beach International Airport (KDAB). She plans to make 30 stops in 18 countries across five continents – for a total of 25.800 nautical miles. This flight will be the second time a female has circumnavigated the globe; plus, she will be the youngest female pilot to attempt it.The plan is to make three stops in North America; cross the Atlantic to Europe for four stops; then four stops in the Middle East; five stops in Asia; on to Australia for two more; cross the Pacific and stop seven more times. Then, it will be back to North America for a ten-leg crossing of the continental U.S. She will end up back in Daytona Beach, where the mission started.The planned route Shaesta will take:FromToDistanceKDAB Daytona Beach, FloridaKCMH Columbus, Ohio655 nmKCMH Columbus, OhioCYUL Montréal, Canada521 nmCYUL Montréal, CanadaCYYT St. Johns, Canada876 nmCYYT St. Johns, CanadaLPAZ Santa Maria, Portugal1,374 nmLPAZ Santa Maria, PortugalLECU Madrid, Spain1,023 nmLECU Madrid, SpainEGKB Biggin Hill, UK673 nmEGKB Biggin Hill, UKLIRU Rome-Urbe, Italy850 nmLIRU Rome-Urbe, ItalyHECA Cairo, Egypt1,157 nmHECA Cairo, EgyptOTBD Doha, Qatar1,111 nmOTBD Doha, QatarOMDB Dubai, UAE207 nmOMDB Dubai, UAEVABB Mumbai, India1,041 nmVABB Mumbai, IndiaVECC Kolkata (Calcutta), India901 nmVECC Kolkata (Calcutta), IndiaVTBD Bangkok, Thailand868 nmVTBD Bangkok, ThailandWSSL Singapore Seletar, Singapore772 nmWSSL Singapore Seletar, SingaporeWADD Bali, Indonesia910 nmWADD Bali, IndonesiaYPDN Darwin, Australia953 nmYPDN Darwin, AustraliaYBCS Cairns, Australia906 nmYBCS Cairns, AustraliaNWWW Nouméa, New Caledonia1,199 nmNWWW Nouméa, New CaledoniaNWWM Magenta, New Caledonia21 nmNWWW Magenta, New CaledoniaNFFN Nadi, Fiji676 nmNFFN Nadi, FijiNSTU Pago Pago, American Samoa715 nmNSTU Pago Pago, American SamoaPLCH Christmas Island, Kiribati1,258 nmPLCH Christmas Island, KiribatiPHTO Hilo, Hawaii1,068 nmPHTO Hilo, HawaiiPHNL Honolulu, Hawaii188 nmPHNL Honolulu, HawaiiKOAK Oakland, California2,093 nmKOAK Oakland, CaliforniaKSEE El Cajon, California391 nmKSEE El Cajon, CaliforniaKVGT Las Vegas, Nevada225 nmKVGT Las Vegas, NevadaKDVT Phoenix, Arizona215 nmKDVT Phoenix, ArizonaKICT Wichita, Kansas754 nmKICT Wichita, KansasKGRR Grand Rapids, Michigan630 nmKGRR Grand Rapids, MichiganKDCA Washington, D.C.460 nmKDCA Washington, D.C.KPDK Atlanta, Georgia (Peachtree)461 nmKPDK Atlanta, Georgia (Peachtree)KBFM Mobile, Alabama273 nmKBFM Mobile, AlabamaKDAB Daytona Beach, Florida375 nmTotal:25,800 nmSource: dreamssoar.orgFlightAware will provide live tracking on the flight once it gets underway from Daytona Beach. To follow the flight, go to the Dreams Soar website.Shaesta was born in Afghanistan and emigrated to the U.S. as a young girl with her parents and five sisters. They settled in Richmond, California in 1987. She discovered a fascination with aviation, which motivated her to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where she completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees – making her the first woman in her family to ever do so. While in college, she started the Women’s Ambassador Program designed to mentor young women who desire aviation and engineering careers.To learn more about Shaesta’s unique and inspiring story, read her own words. For updates on this story, visit UAS Blog frequently over the coming months.
