" Every Takeoff Is Optional. Every Landing Is Mandatory."- Tapesh Kumar

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1. Tell us about your journey.

I was born in Haryana in 1992 in a poor family. My parents moved to Delhi about 6 months after I was born and came here with nothing but a bag full of clothes and a 100rs cash.

Our initial days were filled with struggle and well, poverty. We stayed in a small hut with a tin roof till I almost 10 years old. Things started improving however after my dad joined Jet Airways and there was no looking back from thereon. I started my aviation career in 2011 after failing in IIT and dropping a full year after 12th, having been declared a failure for not making it to IIT and not scoring well in class 12th.

After joining aviation, however, things started looking up. I worked my ass off and finished my initial training in just 11 months. After my training, Jet Airways came up with vacancies and I topped all through the selection process, doing really well in my airline training as well. I was with Jet for 6 years where I became a captain at the age of 25 in 2018, being the youngest airline captain in the world then.

I am currently flying with AirAsia as a captain on the Airbus A320.

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

I am good with my bookish knowledge and my hand-flying skills are top of the line. Being a pilot requires a lot of hard work, studying all your life, and a lot of money as well.

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

I did my initial training from Chimes Aviation Academy in Madhya Pradesh and Type Rating from Cockpit4U, Berlin, Germany. It is hard to recommend a flying school because it is a very complicated selection.

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

Runway left behind, fuel left on the ground and the sky above the airplane is of no use to a pilot

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

If you're passionate about flying, If looking at airplanes makes you giddy and if an office at 35,000 feet in the sky is your wet dream, work hard for it, day in and day out. You'll get there, one day, for sure.

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

Success in aviation is all about securing an airline job. Earlier the better.

7. Which is your favorite book and why? 

I'm not one for reading as I have enough things on my hand with not enough hours in the day. However, I'd say I love reading the classics. 

- Tapesh Kumar, Captain at Airbus A320

- Interviewed by Shilpy Sharan