Story ID: 
First Woman Pilots AW609 Tiltrotor
By: Mark Huber
Caption: Emirati Sheikha Mozah bint Marwan Al Maktoum is the first woman to fly Leonardo's AW609 civil tiltrotor.
Word Count: 225
Sheikha Mozah bint Marwan Al Maktoum has become the first woman to pilot a Leonardo AW609 civil tiltrotor. Mozah, an ATP-rated fixed-wing, and helicopter pilot, is a member of the UAE’s ruling family. She recently made the flight at Leonardo’s Philadelphia production facility, according to the company. 

In 2015, the UAE’s Joint Aviation Command signed on to be the launch customer for the search-and-rescue variant of the AW609 with orders for three and options for three more. Mozah said flying the AW609 had been on her “bucket list” and was the “natural evolution of my piloting experience, merging both fixed and rotary-winged piloting skills. Aircraft like this one make me feel really excited about the future of aviation, a future now open to more women who chose this industry.”

At age 13, Mozah made her first parachute jump and at 17 became the youngest enrollee at CAE’s UK Oxford Aviation Academy. She has served as a helicopter pilot for the Dubai Police and is a rated crewmember for Emirates Airlines. In 2013, she was recognized by the Guinness World Book of Records for the most consecutive wing-walking rolls. She established the Women in Aviation Association (Shehana) in 2019 and presented a working paper on female empowerment in aviation to the 40th session of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly.