Dream to Fly

by Tom, Seawood

Why this post? I need not have written this. But being who I am, a boy from a remote village without much exposure to even cities could conquer the sky. What brought me here and what I sacrificed in the bargain is certainly worth being recorded.

My Aunt Sr.Edwin, a nun, had tears in her eyes when I entered the aircraft, wearing a pilot’s uniform, and sat next to her with the boarding cards. We both did not talk or try to open a conversation. But I realized then that she didn’t want that journey to end. Even I wished the same. We both wanted to squeeze maximum time together from the little we had, as her malignant tumour had already crossed the point of no return. We both knew that her days with me were short. I understood the meaning of those tears of delight. She was the one who nurtured in me the ambition of becoming an airline pilot from a very young age.

I recall growing up reading intriguing letters from my aunt Edwin, which prompted me to become a pilot. As a child, scanning large aircraft, and leaving contrails on clear skies as they were landing and taking off from the long runways, kindled great curiosity in me, and my love for becoming a pilot grew even more day by day.

The year was 2003, and I was inside the classroom of Madras Flying Club along with 15 aspiring pilots, All at different stages of their training programs. I received a call from my chief flying instructor to prepare for my first flight on a trainer aircraft, An American-made 2-seater Cessna; the first flying lesson was titled “Air Experience,” which is essentially an orientation and sightseeing from the sky.

Naturally, as it was my first attempt to defy gravity and fly, I became terribly nervous. I drank some water and got inside the plane after declaring to all on my contact list about my upcoming first flight. But the sheer size and personality of my instructor gave me comfort that he is someone who can handle any contingency.

As the plane started rolling on the runway, my curiosity made me look out of the windows to see the vegetation and the buildings around us getting tinier. I had forgotten that my task was to look through the windscreen first. Nonetheless, a sense of triumph engulfed me as the plane crossed the final barrier, the airport’s compound wall, and I was airborne for the first time already.

My instructor pointed at a small building and said it was Chennai’s tallest residential building. In 2003, Arihant Tower, located at Koyembedu, was the tallest residential tower.

That day, my instructor assured me I would be soaring the rest of my life above the clouds, seeing beautiful things not many can see while flying bigger aircraft traveling at incredible speeds.

Barring astronauts, no one gets to see what we adore. Flying above the clouds close to the speed of sound, challenging the mighty sun, close encounters with the shooting stars, avoiding swirling cyclones, and so on.

I was fortunate to fly for one of India’s leading airlines. I had to undergo rigorous training with other pilots with little or no experience flying commercial planes with passengers on board. In airline simulators, we practice abnormal situations. I became the first pilot from my community and fulfilled my dream.

I sat on the additional seats inside the cockpit of regular flights with passengers. Those flights are called “Observation flights.” Usually, about 30 sectors meaning 30 trips. It’s strictly monitoring and no hands-on practice.

Once on a scheduled observation flight, the captain fooled and pranked me by refusing to allow me to get on board. My repeated attempts to explain to him and get into the plane got brushed away. As I was wondering what was happening and had no clue how to handle this dilemma, he called me at the last minute, just before door closure, and let me into the cockpit with a broad grin. Their gruelling training process can be fun, too.

I couldn’t forget one particular flight, not just for the prank on me, but I learned a few things only pilots could experience while flying through rain clouds. I saw continuous electric sparks on the windshield during that specific flight. It was terrifying at the same time, beautiful. “Beautiful” because both pilots in control seemed to enjoy the moment rather than feeling jittery like me. As I enquired, the other pilots explained that these phenomena are “St Elmo’s fire,” which happens when the atmosphere becomes charged and strong enough to cause a plasma discharge between an object and the air around it. You get to see these bright electric sparks all over the windshield. I wish I could express the joy of seeing such amazing things up in the air in the pure darkness; it was truly an incredible experience.

After finishing all the mandatory training, I could fly across India, also destinations in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Among all the airports I have flown to, my favourite is always “Trivandrum Airport”, which happens to be the closest airport to my native Kanyakumari district. From the air, it is so scenic that while coming from the north, you fly over the greenery of the Western Ghats and the deep blue Arabian Sea. Nothing can beat that view.

We, as pilots daily, face frequent delays, changes of flight, medical emergencies, unruly passengers, flight diversions, and many other elements, which ignite different feelings and demand diverse skill sets. Also, when your family travels with you, that is an overdose of ultimate joy.

The life of a Commercial Pilot calls for various sacrifices. You are never with the family on special occasions. Sometimes, you are not around when they badly need your presence. It is not a 9 to 5 job. You have to be available 24/7- 365 days.

India has about 1300 women pilots, which is around 15% of the total commercial pilot strength in the country, whereas the global average is only 5%.

Flights resemble life, nothing is permanent and all the passengers are destination bound. They get down when it is time to get down. As a pilot, we watch hundreds get in and get out, and our job is to fly them safely to their destination.

The wife would be praying to God for the safe return of her husband without danger after each flight. You might wonder whether the husbands do the same for their wife’s safe return. I am sure they do because every day, we are challenging nature. Humans are not designed to fly, but we consistently achieve it. We trust the machines, and the wives at home trust their God.