To Fly Is a Privilege, Not Everyone Gets It

To fly is a privilege, not everyone gets it. Work hard to get it and respect it when you have it.

1. Tell us about your journey?

My father is a retired aeronautical engineer, and the first time I saw an aircraft was when I was 2 years old. I have literally been around aircraft all my life. All I have dreamt of or wanted to do is fly.

As we are from a middle-class family it was difficult to do such an expensive course, but with the help of an education loan and lifetime savings, we made it. If you talk about my journey, it's been filled with hurdles and bumps.

At every stage of my life, I have faced difficulty. Let it be arranging funds, let it be at flying school, or even getting a license. But as they say, in life, it's not about how many punches you can take, but it's about standing up and fighting every time you fall down.

2. What qualities make a good pilot and what should one know about this profession?

I feel the biggest quality in a pilot should be the feeling that "you are not good enough". Flying is a dynamic process, even though your flying in the same route for the hundredth time, conditions are always different and changing. So never get overconfident, keep updating yourself, and always be prepared for the worst.

3. Where did you do your training from and which institute would you recommend?

I did my training at HAL, Bangalore, and further proceeded to the US for further training. When it comes to a flying school, there is no best. The conditions of schools keep changing from time to time, you need to research and ask around for the school's performance at that point in time and decide.

4. What's the best piece of flying advice given to you?

The best advice in flying came to me from a person I least expected. It's from our canteen cook in flying school. Though he said this in Hindi, I will translate. He said, "To fly is a privilege, not everyone gets it. Work hard to get it and respect it when you have it".

5. What advice would you pass on to someone who wants to be a pilot?

For someone who wants to be a pilot, I would like them to live by the advice the canteen cook gave me. Also, to respect each and every individual starting from top to bottom in the industry even after you become a captain or a commander. Giving people respect takes you a long way, not only in Aviation, it's everywhere

6. What does success look like to you in this job?

In this job, every day I fly, I'm successful. It gives me immense joy to be up in the air, I want nothing more.

7. Which is your favorite book and why?

My favorite book is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It teaches you a very important lesson. You go out searching for happiness all your life when you might be already sitting on a mountain of it. All you need to be is grateful for what you have

Instagram ID - @pilotsierra