Explore how a Flying Academy teen achieved his dream: Husam Gamal tells Euronews how his career as a qualified air race pilot took off.
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00:00 I joined the flying academy when I was 15.
00:03 From the first day I knew that this was my thing.
00:05 The interesting part would come during the solo flight, which is your first flight alone.
00:11 And that was something that I'll never forget in my life.
00:17 I was so scared.
00:19 It is more of a mental game.
00:21 The noise of the engines.
00:23 I tried to listen to what she wants to tell me.
00:25 I just could feel it, you know, I felt it in my body.
00:27 My brain accepted it so much that I was like, I can go quite far with this.
00:38 The fact you're flying over the UAE, where I'm from, where I lived all my life, it built
00:43 a very, very special emotions between me and flying in general.
00:47 Then I graduated at the age of 17 as the youngest pilot in the UAE.
00:51 In 2013, I was introduced to aerobatics.
00:54 Aerobatics is basically aviation sporting.
00:56 You fly special types of aircraft that is capable of flying in an unusual attitude.
01:01 I decided this is where I want to go.
01:03 So I started training more and more.
01:05 In 2015, I decided that I want to compete.
01:08 It was my first competition.
01:09 I scored last.
01:10 You really need experience.
01:12 And that comes with you breaking your neck at least 20 times.
01:16 And that's actually what I was aiming for, is just to compete more and learn more and
01:20 to gain that confidence.
01:22 When I started, when I used to fly, my legs were shaking.
01:24 In 2018, it was not.
01:26 So we went for the Spanish competition, and I scored the first in the four programs.
01:32 And the overall score, I got the first.
01:35 One week after, I got an email that I'm invited for a training camp by Red Bull to be a qualified
01:40 air racer, which is any pilot's dream.
01:44 We were five days training camp.
01:45 Everything was different.
01:46 It was much faster, and you have to fly between an air gates, pylons, those big balloons.
01:52 I remember that day, I was flying fourth, and before I jump into the plane, my coach
01:57 at that time say, "The plane fits between the pylons.
02:01 He said, "Just keep this in your mind."
02:04 I come up with good power, speed.
02:07 Just before entering the gate, I just pull out and fly away.
02:11 I was like, "No way.
02:13 It won't fit.
02:14 I'm going to hit the balloon."
02:15 So I decided to land.
02:17 My coach said, "Finish.
02:18 You go back home."
02:19 I was like, "There is no chance.
02:20 I'll do it."
02:21 I was like, "Okay, I'm going to fly as fast as possible.
02:25 I'm just going to take that gate."
02:27 When I passed that gate, the feeling that I had was that I own this world.
02:31 So they told me that I qualified, and they told me, "You're going to be a Red Bull air
02:34 race pilot."
02:35 Unfortunately, COVID happened that year.
02:38 That's when I decided to take a break.
02:41 And now I'm back to the sport again.
02:42 This time, it comes with the support of X2Bike.
02:45 With that support, I am definitely going back to compete.
02:49 And this time, I'm aiming and looking forward for the world championship.
02:53 And I'm also going for the first.
02:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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