Haredim trying to become commercial pilots could face a daunting bill of more than 700,000 shekels before qualifying. In a special meeting held today with the Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, Brigadier General (Res.) Shmuel Zakai, support was promised for their integration into the civil aviation industry. "I will do everything possible to see the haredi pilots integrate into civil aviation," Zakai declared during the meeting. The meeting was initiated by Pini Gross, founder of the 'Pilots for Haredim' project, who enlisted Meidan Bar, a Boeing 777 captain at El Al and Chairman of the Pilots' Association. The main challenge is accumulating the 1,000 flight hours required in Israel to fly a passenger plane. So far, haredi pilots have accumulated about 400 hours in private aircraft, with significant financial investment. Deputy Transportation Minister Uri Maklev also joined the effort, promising to work on removing bureaucratic barriers.
