GREAT! What a delight! Air Asia cadet pilot intake for this year is not frozen after all!
This is a perfect opportunity to realize my childhood ambition to fly as a pilot. To fly for such a promising airline like Air Asia is a big bonus. All I have to do is to blog. Although I never blogged before, I am here to take the chance. I am here to make my dream come true. AIR ASIA, HERE I COME...

I want to become a pilot. Piloting is the best job in the world. I do believe it crossed everyone’s mind to become a pilot. What making the difference is that some are adventurous enough to venture into this field and some not. Undoubtedly I belong to the former group. What makes piloting such an obsession to me? Is it the high salary? Undeniably it is part of it. For me piloting is a very unique job, pilots fly high above the sky, above the crowds. Pilots are well honored and respected, simply because of their contribution to the society, their role to fly people to all over the world, to where they are supposed to be, which keeps the world going. It’s a professional and challenging job, with great responsibility. A doctor handles one life at a time; a pilot, hundreds. I believe that’s why they are highly paid, not only with money but also in the form of great feeling called satisfaction (in which I seek). Furthermore, flying alone is already a very fun and interesting thing to do, people pay to fly, but pilots fly to get paid… what can be possibly better than this??

WHY ?

1.Just like what everybody says, Air Asia is the BEST AIRLINE. Affordable fares and high quality of service is the ultimate weapon an airline can offer. That’s why it grows so fast. I want to work in this kind of airline, because pretty soon I will be flying to all over the world.

2.It is very stable and resilient despite current recession. Over 30 airlines have ceased operation, but not Air Asia. Under the mastermind of Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, Air Asia is unstoppable. Solution? CREATIVITY+COURAGES. In which I truly admire.

3.To be able to work for a respectful person like Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes is a bonus. He is AMAZING. He is the best example of successful entrepreneur. Single handedly, he raised Air Asia just into a famous award winning airline, immerging out to the world market, with great global influence. This surely makes Malaysian proud! Keep up the good job Air Asia!

4.Under the philosophy of “EVERYONE CAN FLY”, Air Asia is serving literally everyone; rich or poor. This is a very BIG CONTRIBUTION to the society. And I know how important air travel is to everyone, simply because I am a frequent air traveler too. I want to fly for everyone. Most of my friends are Air Asia travelers. GEE.. who knows I will to be their captain one day! “ERherm… Welcome onboard, this is your captain speaking…” haha.

5.Air Asia is a big happy family. Every staff of Air Asia looks so happy working! I want to be a part of them too!

6.ReD Airplanes are GORGEOUS AND EYE CATCHING!

7.Last but not least…I am a BIG FAN OF MANCHESTER UNITED!!!

Usually called Ben, my full name is Chin Vun Ben. My hometown is Kota Kinabalu (BKI), Sabah. Currently 19 years old, turning 20 on this coming September. I am a student of Aircraft Maintenance at PSA (Politeknik Shah Alam). I am the type of person who loves sports, especially soccer, basketball and swimming. They are a part of my life. Personally I judge myself as a strong positive character. I do not have heavy regrets as I always live my life full, to the way I want. My dream to become a pilot is the fuel that gets me going all the time, especially in my studies. One of the things that I am very grateful about is that I have the best family and girlfriend in the world. They are always supportive in this dream of mine and I am very grateful about it. I live with my parents my big sister, and a twin brother of mine. It is so lucky of me to have such a sweet girlfriend, Reenah. In fact she was the one who encouraged me to take part in this competition. One thing in common about them is that they enjoy traveling. When i become a pilot one day i will take them to travel to all the nice and interesting places in the world. I will make sure i win this! I want to make them proud!!!

I was exposed to airplanes since i was in a tender age. As my dad belongs to Sandakan and my mum, Lahad Datu, we visited our relatives almost every year as a tradition. Sometimes we traveled by car, and sometimes airplane;. And of course like everyone else, I preferred to fly. Of course car journeys had always been tiring and time consuming, but the main real reason behind my choice was the luxury to indulge the sensational experience of flying. As a young boy back then, I wasn’t much depressed when it comes to departure at the airport. That’s because I would be looking forward to the flight. I wanted get into the aircraft and start flying, as soon as possible. I wanted to fly and I simply liked the feeling very much. From the window, the view up there was breathtaking. The world looked so simple, yet so intricate. Miniature cars and buildings arranged in a neat pattern along the web of roads and rivers. Branching out, they link almost everything together. The forests served perfectly as the background, coloring the earth lively green. The world is an art. Our Creator is a true artist. Flying is the perfect way to admire His ‘painting’. In fact that’s the beauty of visual flight, the view is always amazing. Maybe this is why most aircraft are designed with so many windows. Every second in the flights was precious, every detail caught my admiration. I still remember how my dad liked to share us about the beauty of aircraft; I can easily picture the way he showed us the landing gears and flaps movements during take offs and landings, with us sitting on the Fokker-50 window seats near the wing. As I grew older, so does my passion for aviation. I knew I fell in love with it, it is so beautiful.

At one point, I started to put my attention to the art of piloting, the art of flying the aircraft. As a passenger, I tended to observe the way the aircraft was flown, especially during take offs and landings. They play a big role in the overall flight quality. In a special way, neat flights satisfy my soul, I believe same goes to the pilots. I wished that I can get involved too…

As I matured up, I naturally knew that is exactly what I wanted. I wanted to become a pilot, a successful CAPTAIN. Indirectly Air Asia also has a part in nurturing up my dream. With cheaper air fares, I was able to fly more often and to admire it even more. Carrying the motto “everyone can fly”, Air Asia redefined air travel business in Malaysia. It is an airline that serves the whole community with smart and simple strategy- affordable and reasonable airfare for everybody. It also means that when I become an Air Asia pilot one day, I will be flying for EVERYONE!!!

During my secondary school days, it never took me long to write out my ambition when asked-a PILOT. To give oneself a goal to strive for is a good idea. Along with my family support, my ambition provides me the thrust I need in my studies. To succeed in a good mindset was my main priority. My efforts paid off, I earned myself 12As(6A16A2) in the SPM examination, along with a “Pelajar Cemerlang” award. I was really happy. I earned myself a step closer to goal at the same time! Of course, co-curriculum activities are just as important. They played a big part in my school life. They built up my character and help me to unveil my true potentials. Most importantly, they are fun. As an outgoing person, I was active in participating in competitions, for instance, my favorites, the soccer league competition (Champion) and the Sabah state invention competition. As my school’s brass band member, I had the chance to compete and perform in various occasions(especially Sabah State competition) where I gained precious experiences and great friendships. Also, serving as my school prefect sharpened up my discipline and leadership quality. And currently, i am enjoying sport as a PSA basketball player. personally I love team games, be it basketball, soccer or even ping pong. It feels superb to win or achieve something as a team. It is about the art of teamwork, on how you perform as a team, instead of an individual. It is fascinating how people associate with each other neatly to achieve a common goal. That’s where the strength is multiplied. Same with the good triumphal feeling when the goal is achieved, it is multiplied. It feels really good. This applies to the job of piloting too. Professional pilots work together perfectly to fly the aircraft to its destination on time and safely. As mentioned before, it is really the kind of job that is really satisfying at the end of the day. Landing hundreds of people to their destination everyday, you what I mean… It is a hero’s job. I see myself as one. I want to be a pilot.

After SPM, I wanted to go for flying school. Unfortunately, I was unable to do so as my family could not afford the expensive training fee. I searched the news day after day but there were no Air Asia cadet pilot recruitment. It was a little bit frustrating for me. Eager to become a pilot and looking at the bigger picture, I decided that my next step was to find an appropriate stepping stone and to learn deeper into aviation. After all, I was still very young. A wider knowledge in this field would definitely prove an advantage in the future. So I did survey on aviation related courses. As a result of my survey, I decided that a Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance of PSA (Politeknik Shah Alam) was the best package for me. It is a government subsidized 2.5year course, with hands-on maintenance training on aircraft (using MAS facilities). Why not? 2.5 years as an aircraft mechanic! How interesting. I believe most car mechanics are good drivers. Theoretically same should go with aircraft. So I applied for the course. Weeks later I was shortlisted for the tests, then the interviews. And finally, I was accepted into the course. It was a joy. I started the course on July 2007 and will be completing it at the end of this year. So far, this diploma course benefited me hugely. From theory to hands-on training on aircraft, I acquired useful knowledge about aircraft and aviation field. I know they are precious experiences. Not everybody has the opportunity to work close up with these majestic flying machines. I love my life. Realizing how amazing an airplane is, and how high it flies in the sky above, even touching the aircraft is a great thrill for me… So far I have landed my hands on B737, B747, B777, A320 and even A330. They are superb aircraft. Airplanes are ingeniously designed; taking all plausible factors into account, they are made to operate with optimum efficiency and optimum safety level, which is not an easy job. Each and every part of the aircraft serves its very own purpose. They went through centuries of evolution to become what we see in the sky today. Taking Antonov 225 as an example, sometimes you can really get stunned when you realize that how big an aircraft can be.. Does it matter? YES! Because it FLIES!

During my training days, I used to visit the cockpits whenever I was free. Sitting on the pilot seats feels awesome. They are not ordinary seats; they are seats for the chosen ones. I promised myself I will someday sit on one officially. Through Air Asia, I can do it because:

-I SAY I CAN!
Yes I can!

-I LOVE AIR ASIA!
I want to fly for Air Asia!

-I BELIEVE IN MY DREAM!
That's why i am here!

-I AM COMPETENT!
I have met the requirements to become a good pilot!

-I AM RESPONSIBLE!
Flying multimillion dollars flying machines carrying hundreds of people is definitely not something to be taken lightly. Responsibility is the most important trait in a pilots. As greater power comes greater responsibility, everything is under your hands. A so-called "small mistake" can be catastrophic. For everything little thing i do, i take full responsiblity! That's me!

-I HAVE THE CONFIDENCE!
Good pilots have full self-confidence. With everything under your decision, flying through the thick clouds of uncertainties is certainly not an easy task without strong self belief. I am a very confident person. I have strong belief in my capabilities!

-I HAVE THE PASSION!
The passion to fly high in the sky is my source of power. I strive hard to achieve my dream 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 12 months a year, in another word, all the time! I want to become a PILOT!

-I HAVE THE PERSEVERENCE!
Perseverence is somehow linked aviation field naturally. Pioneers of aircraft were the best examples. Years and years of experiments and trials, falls and failures, they never gave up. That's the key for their succeess! Perseverence! That's what i am trying to prove in this competition. I hope i have convinced you!
(My motto: DO OR NOT DO, THERE IS NO TRY!)

AND MOST OF ALL....

-JUST LIKE AIR ASIA, I DARE TO DREAM!!!
With all these great attributes, they are worthless if you are do not even dare to dream at the first place! Not all companies dare to penetrate the market with new ideas, even with great ones. But Air Asia did. Brave, daring to dream and to be different, Air Asia has what it takes to be successful. I know i this is the key to be a winner in life!

ONE MORE SPOT LEFT! PLEASE PICK ME SIR!!

P/S: Thanks to Air Asia,
I have discovered the fun of blogging and I love it very much!!!
I have to praise Air Asia for this creative way to take in fresh aspiring pilots!
A good way to promote the art of blogging.

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOG,

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT.

AND I HOPE I WON YOUR ATTENTION! :)