A Dream That Has No Doubts

After Grade 10 in 2007, I started thinking seriously about what career I could pursue that would eventually allow me to fund flight training myself.

I researched and narrowed the list down to three professions: Neurologist, civil engineer and Computer science/software engineering. I eventually settled on Computer science and software development because it offered a competitive career path, good earning potential and, importantly, the possibility of having the flexibility I would need to pursue aviation later. Long before the rest of the world woke up to remote work during the pandemic, I zeroed in on Software Engineering only because my logic was simple: I could code from airport lobbies or cafes, finish my work, and immediately step into a cockpit for flight training.

Some people might look at that decision and think I abandoned the dream. I didn't.

I was actually trying to find a way to make it possible without making it a financial burden on my family or myself in the shape of debt.

In December 2013, I earned my Bachelor’s in Computer Science. After working brief months as a software engineer, I packed my bags for Australia to pursue my Master’s in Business & ERP Systems—and take my first real step toward the sky.

January 2015, I landed in Melbourne—a city that quickly became my second home. It was a country where I knew no one yet and everyone welcomed me with open arms. Among them was this one person whose kindness, motivation and guidance will have me forever in debt. Today he is my elder brother and mentor, Sarfaraz Bhai!

I started my Master's degree in February 2015 and continued working full-time as a software developer. I was building a career, supporting my family and trying to establish myself in a completely new country.
All the while, that childhood dream was still there.

It was simply waiting for its turn.

Knowing my passion and love for flying… In October 2016, my elder brother and mentor, Sarfy, gave me a gift voucher for a Discovery Flight.
That flight brought something back to the front of my mind that had been sitting there for years.

I had always wanted to fly, but there is something very different about actually sitting in the cockpit, looking outside, touching the controls and realizing that this is something you could potentially do for the rest of your life.

By the time I landed back from that discovery flight, the flame that was there since childhood had ignited into a full blown fire that made me break all shackles and propel forward with full force to make progress with whatever that was needed to start flight training. I could no longer wait to opt-in to choose flying as a full-time career.

I saved money and worked as many part-time jobs while also helping support my family back in Pakistan. Eventually, I started my flight training under Australia's Part 61 system.
On December 8, 2017, at Lilydale Airport (YLIL) nestled in the Yarra Valley, I logged my very first official lesson. My first instructor, Graham "Bunny" Bunn—along with instructors Gary and Matt—didn't just teach me how to fly; Bunny shared golden nuggets from his 50+ years of aviation experience that shaped me into the aviator I am today.

I still remember what it felt like to finally begin something I had thought about for most of my life.

For the first time, the dream wasn't something I was planning for. I was actually living it.

Just one month later, COVID-19 hit. Melbourne became one of the most locked-down cities in the world. Flight training completely ground to a halt. Like many pilots around the world, I found myself away from the cockpit. In 2020, I flew only around 1.1 hours.

For someone who had spent years trying to get into the cockpit, being away from flying was difficult. But I continued moving forward in other ways.

Instead of letting frustration set in or letting time get by, I used the isolation to study. While Australia requires passing 7 rigorous written exams for a Commercial license (Human Factors, Aerodynamics, Aircraft Systems, Meteorology, Navigation, Air Law, and Performance), I spent roughly 12–14 months studying and passed all subjects.
As the Chinese proverb says: "Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." That knowledge still helps me in many ways.

Then came another major change.

And once again, I had to start over but in a different way.

After another year of working and rebuilding financially, I started working toward my Instrument Rating.
Then came one of the dates I will remember. July 3, 2024. That was the day I returned to the cockpit after nearly four years away from proper flying.

It wasn't just another training flight to me.

It felt like I was reconnecting with a part of myself that had been waiting patiently for me to come back.

I enrolled at American Flyers in Conroe (KCXO) for my Instrument Rating. Working with two exceptional instructors, Darius and Claire, I showed up to every lesson fully prepared with flight plans, weight and balance calculations, and study notes. In November 2024, I earned my Instrument Rating.

From there, I began time-building toward the 250-hour commercial requirement. I treated every hour not as passive flying, but as a professional mission. I flew every flight with precision and treated every minute in the cockpit as a building block to improve my skills and get myself to the standard where I could call myself a commercial pilot.

On December 16, 2025, I passed my checkride and earned my Commercial Pilot License. It marked 50% of my family's ultimate dream—making me the first-generation professional pilot in the family (more on the other 50% dream later in the story). There wasn't a single dry eye in the room when I entered home after coming back from the checkride. I remember how proud my family was.

Being the first-generation pilot in my family meant a lot to me. And I am sure that I won't be the last (God willingly).

Driven to teach, I immediately began training for my Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) rating. But between December 2025 and May 2026, tragedy struck. I lost four extended family members in four consecutive months.

It was one of the hardest periods of my life so far. Dealing with immense personal loss while mastering the art of teaching was the most challenging season. Grief threatens to stall your momentum, but I knew the best way to honor my family was to keep moving forward.

But that period changed me. It taught me about grief, about responsibility, and about continuing to move forward even when life doesn't feel the way you expected it to.

There is no perfect way to deal with loss.
Sometimes you simply take the next step.
And eventually, I had to take mine.

I threw myself back into the books, passed my written exams, and mastered the ability to explain complex aerodynamics from the right seat. In August 2026, I officially earned my Flight Instructor (CFI) rating.
After everything that had happened, that certificate meant more to me than simply adding another qualification to my résumé.

It represented the fact that, somehow, I had kept moving.

"Flying is a feeling worth being felt." - Zain

To me, earning a pilot license has never been just about money or prestige—it has always been about fulfilling a promise I made to a young kid watching airplanes fly above his head and saying to himself,
'I will be a pilot when I'll grow old'.

Now, as an instructor at Career Landing, my mission is to give back. Whether I’m guiding a student through their first discovery flight, helping them master crosswind landings, or shouting "More right rudder!" during a climb out, helping someone else realize their dream is the most rewarding privilege of my life.

Becoming a flight instructor changes the way you look at aviation because as a student, you spend a lot of time trying to become better at flying the airplane. However, as an instructor, you have to understand the airplane deeply enough to explain it to someone else.
You have to figure out why a student isn't understanding something and find a different way to explain it. You have to recognize when someone needs more practice and when they simply need the concept explained differently.
And sometimes, a student will ask you something you don't know. I actually think that's okay.
One of the most important things an instructor can say is: “I don't know the answer to that yet, but let me look into it and come back to you.”

Because being an instructor doesn't mean you know everything. It means you are committed to learning enough to help someone else learn. I believe a great pilot is always learning, remains humble and understands that there is always something new to discover.

I want to carry that philosophy into my instruction. I am here because aviation is my passion, and I genuinely want to share that passion and the knowledge I have gained with other people.

I wanted to create something that wasn't simply a website advertising flight instruction. I wanted it to become a place where people could explore aviation. A place where someone who knows absolutely nothing about flying can come in and start learning. A place where a student can find resources that actually help during training. And eventually, a place where pilots can continue learning even after they have earned their certificates.

I also believe that knowledge should be accessible. Most of the educational content I create will remain free because this is one of the ways I want to give back to the aviation community. I've experienced firsthand that flight training can become financially stressful. When you're watching every hour and every dollar, it can be difficult to simply enjoy what you're doing.

I don't want students to constantly worry about how much aviation is costing them.
I want them to enjoy aviation.
I want them to be able to focus on learning, understanding the airplane, becoming more confident and becoming better pilots.

The philosophy is simple: I simply want people to enjoy aviation instead of worrying about how much it will cost.

That's a big part of why Career Landing exists.

The Journey Continues...

When I look back at everything that happened between that childhood dream and where I am today, I don't see a perfect plan.

I see a lot of uncertainty, fear and moments where only faith got me through.
I see a career in software development that I chose because I needed to find a way to fund the dream.
I see moving from Pakistan to Australia and later from Australia to Houston.
I see starting over more than once.
I see long periods where I couldn't fly.
I see working, saving, waiting and starting again.
I see the people who helped me along the way.
I see my family.
I see the difficult chapters.
And I see the moments where everything finally came together.
Most importantly, I see that the dream never really left.
It just had to wait sometimes.

Today, I am in a position I once dreamed about as a child. I get to fly, and I get to teach someone else how to fly.
But I'm not at the end of the journey.

Circling back to the remaining 50% of my dream… it will come true as well (God willingly) one day: when I will be walking down the jet bridge in full airline uniform, taking off in a commercial airliner with my family onboard the same flight in the cabin behind me feeling proud that I made it!

But while that's something I am working on... I'm still learning.

I'm still working toward the next rating.

I'm still building Career Landing.

And I'm still figuring out what the next chapter will look like. Until then, I’m right here in the cockpit—ready to help you write your own aviation story.