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Nigerian man who joined the aviation industry as a cleaner becomes a captain. Mohamed Abubakar(center) who joined Air Azman as a cleaner 24 years ago, is keeping his dream of becoming an aviation expert alive as he was recently decorated as a captain. A tweet from the airline's official handle reads,

"He joined the Aviation industry 24 years ago as Aircraft cleaner. Today he is getting the fourth bar of becoming a CAPTAIN." Congratulations Mohamed Abubakar!
#pilotscafe #aviation

She was Born on September 14, 1953, in Bognor Regis. Harmer began her career journey in hairdressing after leaving school. She transitioned into aviation in 1973 and embarked on a path as an Air Traffic Controller at London.
Harmer began her career journey in hairdressing after leaving school. She transitioned into aviation in 1973 and embarked on a path as an Air Traffic Controller at London

She employed £5,000 from her personal savings and a £10,000 loan to finance her flying lessons to acquire her Private Pilot Licence (PPL). Subsequently, she assumed the role of an instructor at Goodwood Flying School. Following that, she dedicated two years to studying, ultimately earning her Commercial pilots Licence (CPL) in May 1982.

After submitting applications to over 100 positions, she was eventually hired by Humberside-based Genair, where she operated Shorts 330 and 360 aircraft. Subsequently, Genair merged with British Caledonian Commuter (BR), leading Harmer to transition to the mainline carrier.

She began flying BAC One-Elevens and later moved on to operate long-haul flights on the airline’s McDonnell Douglas DC-10s. In 1987, British Caledonian merged with British Airways (BA), marking the transition for Harmer to become one of merely 60 female pilots recruited by BA.

Supersonic Dreams
Without delay, she aimed to pilot the world’s first supersonic airliner, concorde, and submitted her candidacy for the six-month conversion course in 1992. On March 25, 1993 Barbara Harmer Becomes First qualified female Pilot of a commercial concorde. Harmer embarked on her historic first flight between London Heathrow (LHR) and New York (JFK) in 1993.

This groundbreaking journey catapulted her to global recognition. Amid intense public scrutiny, she gracefully handled her newfound celebrity status. As noted on British-caledonian.com, one of her most memorable moments was when she flew the Manchester United football team to their monumental Champions League Final in Barcelona.

Reflecting on the experience, she expressed, “I was thrilled and honored to be asked to fly the team on their historic journey to Barcelona and felt quite emotional as I taxied the concorde out to the runway, with British flags flying and thousands of people wishing the team luck on the way.”

Concorde’s Retirement: End of an Era
Upon concorde’s retirement from service in October 2003, Harmer concluded her ten-year tenure with the fleet. Subsequently, she transitioned to piloting the Boeing 777 before opting for voluntary redundancy in 2009.
She possessed not only exceptional aviation skills but also held qualifications as an RYA Commercial Offshore Yacht Master.

Her combined experiences in both aviation and maritime domains rendered her a highly sought-after speaker for motivational and inspirational engagements.
However, it was at 60,000 feet, cruising through the skies at 1,350mph, where she truly felt her sense of belonging. Reflecting on her time as a concorde pilot, she expressed feelings of “luck” and being “extremely privileged.”

Harmer continued to be an inspiration throughout her career and beyond. Following concorde's retirement in 2003, she went on to operate the Boeing 777 until taking voluntary redundancy in 2009.

It’s noteworthy that Barbara Harmer is one of just three women who piloted concorde. the other two were French test pilot Jacqueline Auriol and Air France pilot Béatrice Vialle. Before the aircraft retired, Vialle began flying concorde in 2001 and completed around 35 trips between Paris and New York.

Regrettably, Harmer passed away at Wilfrid’s Hospice on February 20, 2011, at the age of only 57. A plaque honoring Harmer’s remarkable accomplishments was revealed at 91 Staples Road, her birthplace, in September 2020.

RealityKings:
How true are all these stories... So many parts are always cut off

LockDown69:
i can deduct you're not happy with the young man's achievement.

LockDown69:
i can deduct you're not happy with the young man's achievement.

AmiableMosquito:
What does Barbara Harmer's story got to do with this story? The OP is confused.

You said so much about Harmer without and said almost nothing about Abubakar.

Racoon:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/khtR7USP4ZAGga59/?mibextid=oFDknk

BARBARA HARMER: FROM HAIRDRESSER TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER TO AN ICONIC CONCORDE FEMALE PILOT.

RealityKings:
How true are all these stories... So many parts are always cut off