Actor Gul Panag has renewed her flying licence, marking ten years since she first qualified as a pilot.
Sharing the milestone on social media, Panag reflected on the challenges involved not only in obtaining her licence but also in maintaining it over the years. She said, “Life is eventually all about perspective. Ten years ago, when I got my flying licence, I was over the moon. It had been on my bucket list for a very, very long time. And there had been no shortage of people telling me I couldn’t do it. Or wouldn’t be able to.”
Panag highlighted the difficulty of completing the required flying hours while managing a career, passing examinations, handling paperwork, and keeping her medical certification current. She wrote, “Starting flying training is one thing. Completing the prescribed flying hours while pursuing a career, clearing all the exams, navigating the paperwork, keeping your medical current and seeing the entire process through is quite another,” emphasising how these factors make the process considerably demanding.
She also noted that some individuals start their training but do not finish it, others complete flying hours but fail the necessary exams, and some allow their licences to lapse due to work commitments, life changes, medical issues, or insufficient flying.
For Panag, returning to renew her licence was a significantly different experience. She said, “The amount of support I’ve received has been phenomenal, and has made all the difference in keeping me flying. Which is why coming back here, where it all began, to renew my licence ten years later, feels particularly special. I now appreciate not just what it took to get here, but what it has taken to keep going. And for once, I’m allowing myself a small pat on the back. Walking in this time, not as a student hoping to earn her wings, but as a licensed pilot returning for a renewal, felt rather different. And yet, some things haven’t changed.”
Alongside her statement, Gul Panag shared photographs showing her in pilot uniform as well as images from her journey.
