Someone quoted it rightly “Not giving up requires a certain level of patience. They need the patience of hours and hours and sometimes days, weeks, months, or years of trying and perfecting. You cannot say when and how you will achieve your goal, but you will do it if you keep walking in the right direction and stay patient until you succeed.”
Vineela Medikonda’s story is an apt example of the quote. She wanted to become a pilot from an early age, but her family thought otherwise. No one was in favor except her father. He encouraged her to become what she wanted to become. At first, she doubted her decision to pursue her career in Aviation, but she convinced herself to face the challenge and win it after a while. Let us hear her story.
Vineela Medikonda- My Story
I’m Vineela Medikonda. I was born and brought up in a small village in South India. Farming was the primary earning source of my family. However, my father opted for a different route and started his own business. Now, he is the managing director of his firm.
Since childhood, I have desired to be a pilot. I got the idea in my mind when I was in 9th standard. During the lunch break, in a conversation, my friends and I discussed our career goals and what we aim to be in the future. One of my friends said, “I want to become a pilot.”
It sounded attractive to my ears, and I also began to consider the option. So I debated enough over the choice, and then I finally decided to go for it. I knew that I’d have to crack an exam, go through intense training, and there would be medical checkups before they allow me to fly a plane. So I started keeping myself medically fit.
Years passed, but I couldn’t forget the dream of becoming a pilot. Call it a childhood dream, momentarily infatuation, or whatever you want to, but it stayed stuck in my conscience. However, after finishing 12th, I decided to back out and pursue engineering over the Aviation career. I had always kept engineering as my backup plan. If something adverse happens then, I’d be able to deal with it.
With time, I realized I could not go further and accept engineering as my profession. I told my family, but nobody believed in me except my father. My mother wasn’t in support, and my grandparents told me to land a government job and live a luxurious life. But my dad encouraged me. He was adamant in his mind and researched to guide me towards the right path.
I was selected in the air force line, but I felt disappointed when I learned that women could not fly fighter planes. They are not allowed to do it. I had applied to get admitted to a Canadian flying school, but I decided otherwise and stayed back in Hyderabad to work with commercial airlines.
I was selected for the SpiceJet Cadet Program. For training, I went to Canada for a while. During 2007 and 2008, the market was in pretty bad shape. I had finished my training period, but there were hardly any jobs available for me, and SpiceJet had laid us off within three months of joining.
I went through the process of selection and moved every step ahead. Then I joined Jetlite, but the training didn’t happen for almost two years due to the recession.
My father didn’t want to see me sit idle, so he suggested that I either get married or enroll in an MBA to get a job. Although once I decide to do something, I don’t leave it midway. So I waited for Jetlite training only. With time, they did call me to join.
After finishing my training period, I received my license and joined the airline. It was the time I got to know that women aren’t allowed to fly fighter jets and planes. We have to fly helicopters and transport planes. That’s something similar to what we do in Civil Aviation.
My first flying experience was excellent as it filled me with a sense of satisfaction. Because I worked hard to achieve the position and I was finally sitting on the pilot’s seat. It amused people to see me on the seat as a woman, and people weren’t used to flying with a woman pilot. Still, I never cared about their remarks or judgment. I solely focused on doing my job and excelling in it.
If I talk about my job, I would say the most challenging thing is work timings. We don’t have any particular schedule to plan our life around.
It keeps changing every minute, hour, week, and month. There is nothing specific, and we also have no idea what may come tomorrow. That’s why we are instructed to deal with everything that crosses our way.
Every morning, I work straight for 9 to 10 hours, and my body has to adjust to the changes that happen due to my surroundings, environment, and long work hours. However, it doesn’t happen all the time. Sometimes I do feel sick, but as I said before, pilots cannot complain because it’s a part of our job. So we have to put up with it.
I have also dealt with dire circumstances. It happened two years ago when I was flying, and the engines failed after an hour of the departure. I handled it all by myself. Even the passengers were not aware of the situation. That’s why they didn’t shift to another jet, and I was the one who flew them to their destination. The administration did their research to find out the reason behind the issue, but I came out clean.
To conclude, I want to say, nothing is impossible. We make things possible by believing in ourselves, by staying patient in tough times. Patience is the greatest virtue of a human being. They will take you on heights if you mix them up with consistency, courage, and hard work.
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