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As a girl, Carli Hui Wai-yan had her head in the clouds, dreaming of life as a pilot. Now the 26-year-old flight attendant is within sight of achieving her dream.
The Hong Kong native first applied  to join Cathay Pacific's cadet  pilot programme in 2005 but she was not chosen.
'I was disappointed,' she said. 'But then I think perhaps I lacked the work experience and aviation knowledge.'
So she applied for a position as a flight attendant, which allowed her to learn more about flying and to meet pilots, who shared their aviation knowledge with her.
She also obtained a private pilot's licence in New Zealand.
Ms Hui's passion and  determination eventually paid off with her admission to Cathay Pacific's cadet pilot programme this year.
A fortnight ago, she started a 60-week flight training programme at the Flight Training Adelaide (FTA) flying school in Australia.
Ms Hui is one of four female  cadets in a class of 12 recruited by  Cathay Pacific Airways this year.
It is a record number of female cadets since the airline introduced the programme in 1988, which is open only to Hong Kong residents.
Wong Lai-ming, 28, who has been training at FTA since November, says men and women are both capable of becoming pilots.
'Flying is a profession that requires both brain work and physical fitness,' she said. 'The aircraft controls in the cockpit may be a bit heavy, but there is not much difference  between men and women in doing the job.'
Since 1988, Cathay Pacific has trained 354 Hong Kong cadet pilots, including 324 men and 30 women.
The airline pays for course fees, meals and accommodation, and cadets receive a weekly allowance.
Upon graduation, cadets undertake a year of conversion training in Hong Kong before beginning work as a second officer in the cockpit.
Although Cathay Pacific has aimed to recruit 30 cadets annually in recent years, only 19 were selected in 2006 and 22  last year from about 2,000 applications annually.
Many applicants failed to measure up, Cathay Pacific's corporate communications manager, Maria Yu Chi-sum,  said.
'Because of the nature of the profession, the requirement for civil aviation pilots is very high and the job also requires English communication skills, which is essential for  pilots,' she said.
FTA's chief pilot, Eng Choinh Liang,  said the main advantage of Hong Kong students was their high standard of English, partly because of the stringent recruitment requirements set by  airlines.
Despite cultural factors  that generally resulted in Asian students being better at following rules while other students exercised more flexibility in handling adverse situations, Mr Eng said Hong Kong students achieved balanced results in ground training and flying.
Cadet pilot Kevin Chau Yin-kiu, 23,  said young people could learn more about  aviation before they entered university by reading books and surfing the internet.
'If possible, they can also take the introductory flying course at the Hong Kong Aviation Club,' he said.



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