After retirement, many pilots transition into management positions or consultancy. Instead, award-winning pilot Captain Qadar Sarfraz took a bold step into entrepreneurship.
In 2022, with no prior template to follow, the Pakistani native founded Airman’s Ground, the first-ever digital Pilot Training Academy in Pakistan, which prepares students for their Private Pilot License, Airline Transport Pilot License, or Commercial Pilot License examinations.
Pakistan has one of the lowest basic literacy rates for girls globally. And like many developing countries, poverty is a concern. When founding Airman’s Ground, Captain Qadar Sarfraz knew she needed to take a more bespoke approach. A feature that sets Airman’s Ground apart from other pilot training schools is its unique focus on the emotional intelligence of pilots.
The academy offers students one-on-one online classwork from certified instructors within the European Union EASA framework. It tracks each student’s progress and adapts lessons based on their strengths and weaknesses.
Notably, once a student is enrolled, Airman’s Ground does not count hours. Students study at their own pace with direct instructor support available 24/7 through a WhatsApp group after the class. As such, Airman’s Ground now boasts a 100% pass rate.
“Anyone who has a mobile phone or laptop with access to the Internet and a strong zeal to learn can achieve their career goals, no matter the conditions, place, or circumstances,” Captain Sarfraz tells Runway Girl Network.
Asked why she decided to launch a fully digital academy, Captain Sarfraz says, “I started Airman’s Ground as a fully digital pilot training academy, making it the first of its kind, because I am a mother of two who always wants to take care of her children by herself.”
She is living proof that where there is a will, there is a way, and it is indeed possible for women to excel in both career and family life without giving up one for the other. She currently combines her role as the CEO of Airman’s Ground with being a housewife and the mother of two children.
Under her leadership, Airman’s Ground has gone on to win several awards, including the Best Education Services Award from Women in Aviation-Middle East, as presented in 2023 at the Saudi Airport Exhibition.
It’s easy to understand why the accolades keep coming. Training for a pilot’s license is expensive, and without the financial means, it is difficult to obtain one.
For young girls aspiring to be pilots, Captain Sarfraz cites a need for affordability. While Airman’s Ground does not provide flight hours, its cost-effective academy removes a key financial barrier around ground school training, thus making it easier for young girls and disadvantaged students to become pilots.
Captain Sarfraz also empowers women in other ways. This is evident through her work as a corporate member of the Women in Aviation-Middle East. At a Boeing event in 2024, she awarded ten women with fully funded memberships to Women in Aviation-Middle East.
On the future of piloting, Captain Sarfraz reckons that pilotless cockpits are ultimately on the horizon. Until then, however, there is a need to improve pilot training “to reduce the human factor involved in air accidents,” she says.
Her own love of flying also contributed to founding the Airman’s Ground. “I wanted something like Airman’s Ground in my life. I desperately needed it”.
She seems to have been destined for this role. To date, Airman’s Ground has taught more than 100 international students across 25-plus countries.
The Pilot Training Academy is also recognized by the U.S Department of State — an impressive feat!.
“The key to success is my sincerity to my students and their future,” Captain Sarfraz notes.
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All images credited to Captain Qadar Sarfraz’s private collection
