Flying an airplane is something that still amazes and inspires a lot of people. It is still fascinating how someone can land and take off a multi-million flying machine so nonchalantly.
Every pilot has a story in terms of their journey leading to becoming a pilot. Here is one of such stories of a pilot flying the largest airliner on the planet. Hope this story inspires you!
A Story of an A380 Pilot:
-Tajender Singh
I completed my flying from the USA in the year 2008-2009, cleared all my papers within 4 months of coming from the USA, got my DGCA CPL in September 2009. Right after that, I decided to pursue a “B.SC. in Aviation” degree. In 2012, I topped my college and university.
After graduating, I started teaching my friends and then, eventually opened my institute named “Aeroknight Aviators” in Mumbai. In 2011, I cleared the Jet Airways pan India selection process. However, due to the Kingfisher shut down and Spice Jet not doing so well at that point in time, I had to wait till 2015. In the process, I cleared the Indigo selection round as well. In September 2015, I had got offers from Indigo and Jet Airways. However, I chose Indigo over Jet Airways.
Right after that, I completed my A320 type rating from Madrid, Spain and officially joined Indigo in May 2016.
I got my ATPL in July 2018, which was one of the fastest in terms of the number of years of active flying. In 2018 I became a management pilot (Fleet Coordinator) with Indigo. Only 18 were chosen out of 1500 first officers after two interviews.
Just when I was about to become a captain in Indigo in 2019, I joined Emirates. Fortunately, I cleared a very intense selection process in December 2018 and joined Emirates in 2019. After successfully getting through Emirates training which is one of the toughest in the world, I started flying Airbus 380, the biggest commercial aircraft in the world with an MTOW of 575000 kgs. It was like a dream come true for me or more than that as within 3 years of flying to reach where I was, was unreal. In March 2020, my last flight was to Mauritius before the lockdown.
In June 2020, due to uncertainty and a lot of losses, airlines started making their employees redundant. I was also in that list and I received the concerning mail-in July 2020. It was a tough pill to digest. However, I decided to be positive and spent some quality time with my family and friends. Furthermore, I pursued MBA in Aviation from UPES in the process.
In September 2021, after being jobless for a year, I got selected in Go Air. However, God had some other plans for me. At the same timeline, Emirates sent an expression of interest to all their ex-employees. I was anticipating a call in one year as I was very low on seniority. However, to my surprise, I was one of the first ones to get a call for the interview and again join Emirates in November 2021. They said they have assessed the past performance, attendance and other records to make this list. Really blessed to be where I am. Looking forward to being in the skies again.
Love.
Tajender Singh
Follow Tajender Singh on Instagram.
Bottom Line:
The reason for writing this article is to inspire future pilots to achieve their dreams. Of course, it might not be easy. Sometimes when the going gets tough, hopes seem to be shattered, dreams seem to get far away but you need to have the courage and with
great determination comes great success. Also, as you go through such difficult situations, you only see yourself getting closer to what you really want to be. Therefore, this path might not be easy. However, it is surely worth a shot!
