A runway that leads to a dream fulfilled

As he marshalled in planes on the ramp in Albany, New York (ALB), Piedmont First Officer Marawan Bakir’s dream of being in the flight deck seemed far out of reach. Taking it one step at a time, he decided to pursue his private pilot’s license and never looked back. With his acceptance into Piedmont’s Cadet Program, Marawan had the resources he needed to succeed in fulfilling his goal of moving from working on the ground to working in the sky.

His parents came to the United States from Egypt with little more than a dream. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, his dad took him to air shows and he became fascinated with the world of aviation. Unable to live his own dream of commercial flying, Marawan’s father encouraged him to follow his passion for flight.

After graduating high school, Marawan earned his associate degree in Aviation Science from Schenectady Community College. He joined Piedmont in 2015 as a part-time ramp agent while building flight time.

“I love being around planes and worked with a great Piedmont team in ALB,” shares Marawan. “The manager knew what every team member needed to be successful and was always encouraging and supportive. The pilots I talked to spoke highly of working for Piedmont, saying they were family-oriented and had a tight-knit pilot group. That plus my personal experience in ground handling made my decision easy to pursue flying for Piedmont.”

When Marawan reached 500 hours of flight time, he was accepted into Piedmont’s Cadet Program as one of the first cadets to go through the program. The Cadet Program is the most flexible cadet program in the industry where Cadets may build hours any way they wish, and are not locked in to a partner school. “I was thankful to have the financial support because it took the weight and worry off my shoulders,” shared Bakir. In addition, as a Cadet, there was no additional interview, and the program offered him a direct path to American Airlines. He took a leave of absence to accumulate flight hours full-time as a Certified Flight Instructor and taught private lessons.

While flight instructing, he began volunteering with the Civil Air Patrol to share his knowledge with young kids who were interested in aviation. He recalls going to the airport as a child and wishing that someone would take him flying. “As a volunteer pilot, I do observation rides for kids who are Civil Air Patrol members. Seeing the young pilots light up makes me happy.”

Marawan began Piedmont flight training in January 2023 and the second to last day of training, the Chief Pilot’s office advised those in the class that all first officers would return home for six weeks due to the shortage of direct entry captains, given the surplus of first officers in the industry at that time. ”The delay gave me more time to study limitations, flows, callouts and profiles,” shares Marawan. In the Fall, he returned to training and graduated in January 2024. “The day I showed up at my parents’ house in uniform, the way they looked at me was priceless,” shares Bakir fondly.

Based in Philadelphia, Marawan recalls his time working on the ramp and how it helps him be a better pilot in the flight deck. Working on the ground, Marawan says he learned so much about the industry and safety. “As a ramp agent, you pay attention to everything, and I will always have a heightened awareness of safety. I look for things that maybe another pilot wouldn’t notice. Now that I’m in the flight deck, I bring that knowledge with me from below the wing and it helps me to be a safer pilot.” On his first flight out of Albany, many of his former colleagues shared their pride in his journey and took photos on his taxi out.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him as he walks through the terminal in his Piedmont pilot uniform,” shares Amanda Rao, ALB Piedmont General Manager. “He is proof that every runway can lead to a dream fulfilled.”

Marawan says it has been an amazing journey filled with ups and downs, trials and victorious moments. “Piedmont’s Flight Training department were very patient and encouraging,” recalls Bakir. He says all the work he put in was worth the reward. “Flying brings me a lot of peace; I can detach from the world while I’m in the air. I don’t have any distractions while flying.” Marawan also says he enjoys learning more about airline operation, getting to know the people he flies with, traveling to different places and making new friends.

Bakir says he will always be grateful for the opportunity that Piedmont provided to him. “Thank you, Piedmont for helping an employee live out their dream.”