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Witness History: The first Arab woman pilot

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The first Arab female pilot

25/05/2021 GMT

The first Arab woman pilot

BBC World Service - Witness History, The first Arab woman pilot

Egyptian Lotfia Elnadi made history when she gained her pilot licence in 1933

Egyptian Lotfia Elnadi made history when she gained her pilot licence in 1933. Trained by an English instructor, she was the first female pilot in the Arab world.

Despite opposition from her father, Lotfia Elnadi was determined to realise her dream to fly. With her mother's consent, she secretly took flying lessons from an English instructor at a small airfield in the desert outside Cairo. And in September 1933 she made history by becoming the first female pilot in the Arab world. Mike Lanchin has been hearing from the Egyptian film-maker and writer Wageh George who interviewed Lotfia at the end of her long life for a film about her amazing achievement entitled 'Take Off From The Sand'.

Photo credit: Alamy

Archive of Lotfia Elnadi from 'Take Off From The Sand'

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