Known to her friends and peers as “Mei”, Thi My Dau has always been curious about how things worked. When she first encountered airplanes in an avionics elective class while studying electronics and telecommunications at a university in southern Vietnam, she couldn’t shake a simple question: what makes aircraft fly? Today, she is pursing that answer as part of the first cohort of Vietnamese trainees recruited for HAECO’s Aircraft Engineering Licence Trainee (AELT) programme.

Drawn to a career in avionics, Mei saw an exciting opportunity with HAECO as it prepares to open a new maintenance facility in Vietnam by 2028. One of just four women in the inaugural cohort, she has begun her journey at HAECO’s state-of-the-art training academy in Xiamen.

For Mei, HAECO’s AELT programme offered just the right mix of classroom learning and hands-on experience. In her first seven months, she has studied aircraft wiring and systems, avionics fundamentals and English while adapting to life in southern China. Module four, covering B2-level material, was the toughest challenge, but her class of six supported one another, sometimes meeting after class to study for exams.

As one of the few women in the cohort, Mei was often surrounded by classmates with more aviation knowledge. Rather than compare herself to others, she focused on her own progress. “You need to focus on your future and your goal,” she says, “not on catching up with everyone else.”

That journey has also been made easier by the support around her. From classmates helping one another to a teacher who patiently revisited lessons with her after class in both English and Chinese, Mei says HAECO feels like a community. “Our teachers and classmates are so supportive. We really take care of one another.”

That sense of family extends beyond the classroom. During one weekend trip to Gulangyu Island, a UNESCO-listed island just off the coast of Xiamen, Mei and her classmates strolled through historic cobblestone streets and past colonial-era buildings together. The experience reinforced what matters most to her: “It doesn’t matter that I was the only woman here. What matters is that we are a team, and most importantly, we’re just like family.”

Adjusting to life in China and studying technical material in English, her second language, has not always been easy. But Mei stays focused on her goal of becoming a senior avionics engineer, putting in extra study time, learning from her classmates and making use of AI tools to work through material outside the classroom.

While still early in her four-year journey, Mei feels confident about the path ahead. Supported by dedicated teachers, encouraging classmates and a strong sense of belonging at HAECO, she is getting closer to answering the question that first sparked her interest in aviation: what makes aircraft fly? More importantly, she is pursing that dream alongside a team that believes in her success.