Humair Ali’s Personal Statement

I have been passionate about aviation from the first time I stepped foot on an airplane at
the age of 5 - fascinated by the marvel of engineering that allows us to travel in air, and
making it my goal to become a commercial pilot. Studying Aerospace Engineering at a top
university would help me to progress academically, and become a major stepping stone to
achieve my goal. This course would provide me with significantly more knowledge about not
just how to fly aircraft, but also how they are being engineered.
I have excelled academically, successfully passing all my GCSEs, and doing particularly well in
History, Geography, and both English Language and Literature, achieving a grade 8 in all of
them. As for college, I am on track to achieve a Distinction* in my Aviation Operations
course via The IASTI (International Air & Space Training Institute). It is a Level 3 Extended
Diploma course which that is equivalent to 3 A levels.
I have been determined to become a pilot - spending time at home to learn as much as I can
about aircrafts, in several ways, such as watching ‘Air Crash Investigation’. This has also
motivated me to buy a PC to enable a flight simulator. Being short as a child meant many of
my peers, and some adults, told me that I could never become a pilot due to my height,
making me question whether I should pursue my passion. However I remained resilient,
displaying unrelented determination. Another skill of mine that I have recently developed a
great deal would be my public speaking skills. These have been strengthened remarkably
since I joined IASTI. Presenting on a weekly basis has also increased my confidence in front
of my peers improving my oration notably. Furthermore, I am also a member of the aviation
society at my college, in which I presented and explained a lot of key aviation concepts. This
is a great asset for me, as a pilot, since I will be talking to large groups of strangers daily as
part of my job. Teamwork is a skill that I have possessed since secondary, which has been
solidified from when I joined the CCF (Combined Cadet Force) for some time. I am also a
member of my school’s badminton club, focussing on my physical strength. In addition to
that, with the help of both activities, I interacted and worked together with complete
strangers from other year groups. I have also registered and successfully completed a 3-
week course with the NCS (National Citizen Service), wherein we took part in several
activities, and ended with a social action project. I took a leading role within my team,
helping plan and co-ordinate our project. By the end we had successfully raised over £400
for The Great Ormond Street Hospital through handing out flyers that we designed, by
placing resources at strategic locations.
At the end of year 12 in college, I took part in a virtual work experience with several major
employers within the aviation industry, such as British Airways, Embraer, Skyborne, and the
Royal Air Force. During the 2-week work experience, I was able to research and present to
several of them about key topics such as sustainability, in terms of carbon emissions from
aircraft, and as far as sourcing water in foreign countries via innovative technologies with
the RAF. The marketing of these companies was another topic which was tackled.
Companies such as Skyborne (An aviation training organisation), had several improvements
scopes to their current marketing, which they were impressed by and took some of the
constructive criticism onboard. I am also part of the student council within IASTI,
communicating feedback about the course up to the CEO in weekly meetings to improve
various aspects of it, including timetable and the general thoughts or opinions of the class
about the course and its progression.
In 5 years, I see myself flying as a commercial pilot after having completed flight school. This
can be made easier by studying aerospace engineering at your university - enlightening me
about aircraft from a perspective I have not yet discovered and providing me with deeper
knowledge about aviation.