21 Year old Girl youngest ATR Captain

[cyrilroy21]

Bavicca Bharathi, has become the youngest commander in the world at the age of 21.

The record was earlier held by captain Nivedita Bhasin of Indian Airlines who achieved it at the age of 23.

The young girl from Marol, Andheri (East) flew her first flight IT 2439/2440 with Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) on December 29.Employed with Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) since July 2007, Bavicca flew an ATR-72-500 with more than 50 passengers on Bangalore-Hyderabad-Bangalore route.

So how does this youngest commander with 2400 hours of flying feel of her achievement?

“I feel happy and proud of this achievement. I am thankful to God for giving me this opportunity. It makes me feel very responsible,” says Bavicca.“The safety of my aircraft and passengers is foremost in my mind. But I also remembered all those who helped me in making the day possible especially my parents, instructors,” she adds.

Bavicca had been making waves since May 2007 when she became the youngest commercial pilot license (CPL) holder at the age of 18 and then the youngest advanced training pilot license (ATPL) holder in 2010 whilst being employed with KFA as a co-pilot.

Being an avid planner who has charted every record she wants to break. “After this I wish to be the youngest check pilot, instructor and so on,” she speaks of her next move.

Bavicca and her Mother Judith (43) made news in 2007 when they got their CPL together.Both of them then thought of making another record by flying together some day.

“As my mother is a co-pilot in Kingfisher in the same fleet, my next aim is to fly with her. She can be the co-pilot and I, the captain,” she says.

Mind you this intelligent girl not only takes pride in flying planes but also enjoys diverse interests.

“I enjoy painting, singing carnatic and playing the piano. I recently passed Grade 5 Piano from Trinity College, London.Besides flying, I am doing my Masters in Business Administration from a very reputed university in USA,” she says.


21-year-old Marol girl youngest commander in the world - Mumbai - DNA (http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_21-year-old-marol-girl-youngest-commander-in-the-world_1490437)

:D

[PT6A]

Good on her,

But worthy of note she is not the first and it is actually not that out of the norm for a Captain to be of the same age as herself.

Good PR I guess though.

PT6A

[shanx]

Bavicca had been making waves since May 2007 when she became the youngest commercial pilot license (CPL) holder at the age of 18 and then the youngest advanced training pilot license (ATPL) holder in 2010 whilst being employed with KFA as a co-pilot.
she sure has set a new record with this new "ATPL" !!
(moron reporters)


... she's also joined another "elite club" ... the ones who somehow manage to get their Licenses issued by DGCA the very same day they apply ! :D

[thearsenal]

well thats a great achievement for the girl but u cant help but assume something is amiss. her mother got employed by kingfisher at the age of 40 hahaha. that seems a little ludicrous, unless you are part of the airforce or any other services no airline wil employ trainee co pilots above the age of 35. that is usually the norm.

[B772]

Money and contacts speak all languages in India !.

[perfectlyimperfect]

Bavicca had been making waves since May 2007 when she became the youngest commercial pilot license (CPL) holder at the age of 18 and then the youngest advanced training pilot license (ATPL) holder in 2010 whilst being employed with KFA as a co-pilot.


hmm... i thought ATPL means "Airline Transport Pilot Licence". is it the new way or the old-fashionable way that i was never aware of :(

[vserian]

There is a word starts with P and ends with S....

[leftseatview]

Being the youngest at something is a good start,but its just the begining.
Getting better at something as you gain experience is a more worthwhile goal.

[Justnotfair]

Im sure she deserves to be a captain. I heard in an airline in the philippines that
an
1.> FO had to bring a notebook full of ANSWERS because he couldnt answer one damn question during the initial interview. And still got the job
2.> same FO got released but with one big limitation. FO is only allowed to fly with one person. compared to the other fo's who were released with no limitations. Special treatment?
3.> Allowed to take groundschool training for Captains. even without an ATPL. so apparently you dont need an ATPL to get upgraded
4.> FO does not have the required hours to become Captain and did not get any endorsements from any regular captains.

I guess times have changed. Good luck! :D

[DJ Flyboy]

Good for the girl!! proud shes an indian!!:D

[A380 Jockey]

You've got to be joking!!
I know an Indian boy who got his CPL from Canada on his 17th birthday. He had completed his CPL requirments 2 months before his 17th birthday and had to wait for his birthday to be officially presented the licence. I believe it was a huge event cause the then Prime Minister of Canada(Mooroey,I think) himself presented this lad with the well deserved licence.There was some TV footage too, at that point in time. I do believe this was an all time record!
This young lad went on to fly for Indian Airlines, I think. The reason I know this is that I flew him and his dad way back mebbe in 1983/84 from Toronto to London whilst they were returning back from all the stars and jingles after his son had completed his Cpl and the presentation. And his old man was so proud of his son that he actually requested permission to enter the flight deck enroute and during the course of the conversation, actually showed me the TV footage of his son recieving the award,on his handy mobile VHS video camera! And then went on to narrate the boy's history. Apparently,the father too was a pilot then. And the boy had done his O levels too at some ridicolusly young age(13 or so me thinks....). My F/O and F/E were suitably impressed too with this proud father's enthusiastic son and his phenomenol achievements. If my memory serves me right,the old man was a pilot with Air India. I kept very fond relationships with the family for a few years after which time and tide washed it all away. They were based in the then city of Bombay,now Mumbai....
Have no idea what happened to the young lad,but i'm quite certain he must have gone out and made a mark for himself in the world of aviation. Would be very interesting to know though....
And mind you, this was way back in '83/'84. When the average Cpl age was in the early 30's and the 'younger' ones made it at best in their late 20's.
So it was definitely an achievement of sorts...:)

[411A]

Wouldn't be possible in the USA...as the minimum ATPL age requirement is 23.

Sounds like an accident waiting to happen....in India.
Category Two can't be far ahead....EU blacklist just waiting, I expect.:{

[EladElap]

Interesting... she mentions wanting to fly with her mother.

Our company has a policy that you may not fly with spouses or immediate family. I know many companies out there don't have an issue with it, but what are the more experienced PPRuNers out there think?

My feeling is that it perhaps an additional dynamic into the flight deck. Yes I know we should all act like professionals, however I can't help but feel that this could bring unwanted issues from the ground into the air, no matter how professional the individual.

[The SSK]

Bravo 411A for that breathtaking display of prejudice. Is it her age, her sex or her nationality which makes her a dangerous pilot?

[411A]

Is it her age, her sex or her nationality which makes her a dangerous pilot?
Age, and lack of experience.
A bad combination...:ugh:

[A380 Jockey]

So 411,
I assume you were never young or wet behind the ears. And if you were a rookie then you were an old rookie. Is that what you so skilfully suggested...
(No offence meant there please...)
Thanks

[Slasher]

Age, and lack of experience.
A bad combination...

That's ok 411 for drivers in the RHS - it's expected. We were all
"young or wet behind the ears" as FOs (I only had 1,300 hrs when
I joined a major as a F27 FO)

Put same in the LHS and its a different ball game. Faced with a
dire situation way outside her experience and training she had
better hope there'll be an old "Dan Roman" type in the right seat
should it ever occur.

BTW how the hell did she ever get 2,400 hours by age 21, if
indeed that figure is a true one?

[cyrilroy21]

In India you get directly employed by the majors as soon as you have your CPL as general aviation is virtually non existant and there are no regionals.

Hence airlines are forced to hire pilots without any experience.

The above mentioned girl was also India's youngest female CPL holder.

She was employed by Kingfisher on the ATR at the age of 18 and had been with them ever since.

[cvchetan]

she got trained from yash air... now it should speak volumes!!!!

[cyrilroy21]

I doubt its yash air that made any difference

She and her mother were at the right place at the right time.

Anyone with a name on a CPL were immediately hired by
the airlines back then :hmm:

She was supposed to join Air India but joined Kingfisher instead

[rdr]

this is a joke. the whole world has thought out a system which is foolproof, but here we have cleverdicks who have to prove that they have the a world record.
what is amazing is that so many agree to a 21 yr old as the capt of a multicrew a/c carrying passengers.
It normally takes an airline many years to assess a pilots ability, maturity, exposure......before giving a pilot their command.
even then, mistakes are made, like the experianced Jet pilot who yesterday ran over a man 4 times over a traffic incident.
stop advertising this stupidity to the whole world on this forum.

[captainsuperstorm]

you are just jealous because you will never be a captain, and a girl from india got a better position than you.

indian girls rock!!!:ok:

[Boeing7xx]

A380 Jockey, That young boy today is flying 777 for Air India. He did a stint with SilkAir under the leave without pay scheme of Air India in the late early 2000 and came back to Air India in 2006. His father was an Air Force pilot who was flying 747 classics in Air India at that time and retired in 2007.

[A380 Jockey]

Thanks 7xx.
Hope its the same young lad we're both talking about. Sounds about right. He should've become an astronaut or something. Was a smart kid too. IF its the same lad,you can always say my hey to him. He'll remember me as Arthur. And he sure as hell will. Cause I let him manuveur my plane in cruize!
You could,in those days you know...:cool:
Any idea what happened of his ol' man
Cheers

[cyrilroy21]

Well if anyone is interested

I heard a 22 year old first officer got promoted to A320 Captain in Indigo in last december :D

[A380 Jockey]

Hey 7xx,
I just managed to trace down this 17 year old indian boy fresh from pilots training school who i flew down way back in '83 on his completion of Cpl. I used some old indian contacts of mine that i had nurtured over the years. Found out that he's not with AI after all,rather a senior captain with SIA. Why am i not surprised. Only the best end up with SIA.
Thanks for trying though. We did refresh some old memories with his ol man though....:)

[Ndicho Moja]

Congratulations to the new captain on attaining her command. Anyone who attains a command at that age must be very proud.....HOWEVER, where is the experience? One definition for experience is how often have you frightened yourself and got away with it. If you fly ILS to ILS, reasonable weather and everything works you will probably have a long boring career. It is the dark and dirty nights with multiple MELS, black hole approaches that really put you to the test. Add to that, pushy gate agents/station managers, argumentative passengers ( heaven knows India has its fair share of those ) a new first officer who just made it through and the holes in the cheese start to line up.

Good luck to the new commander and many happy landings.

[capson]

Well said....Ndicho Moja.....:ok::D:D

good luck to her...all the best...happy landings...:}

[Sky Dancer]

You must remember that in India , the system is very different.After your CPL you end up on the right seat of an ATR or 737/320 or even a 777.Due to the rapid expansion there is a huge requirement for Captains and many are being upgraded rapidly.Some of the Indian Captains who got their Captaincy at a very young age have done very well for themselves.And some not so , as many have even struggled to get through the sim evaluations of many foreign airlines despite a few 1000 hrs from the LHS.From my experience ,it's quite a sticky situation.Quite a few of the new Captains have been caught in various close calls and this is due to the basics being wrong and the lack of experience.Hope some one will wake up to the situation very soon.As for this young lady , good for her but what was mentioned was quite factually incorrect.:ok:

[leftseatview]

Isnt there a saying..."there is no short cut to success"?
Personally i'd rather be "good" than "young" in this job.

[rdr]

i see a lot of people wishing each other good luck with their career on this thread. well, thats nice, but luck has nothing to do with staying alive so your passengers may live too.
its pure hard work, learning or observing the finer points from your seniors, and a healthy dose of CFS......common f.....g sense.
to effectively experiance the many situations that a pilot may encounter, takes many years in a cockpit, and over even more drinks at the bar. even then, when an emergency does turn up, all the simulators and planning in the world may not be of much use.
the word here is composure, and that comes with handling situation after situation over the years.
the worst case scenario in a captains career is when he is shooting a canpa in a thunderstorm with an f/o named Jose, and unfamiliar terrain all around on an engine out.
thats when you have really earned your salary and a beer. luck has nothing to do with it.:):)

[Sky Dancer]

Well said rdr , couldn't agree with you more.It's important to get the guys with the "Right Stuff" into the cockpit.Anyone else will be a liability at some point in time.:ok:

[A380 Jockey]

So we can safely assume that rdr and sky dancer were NEVER a liability in the cockpit!
Born with golden wings were you..??!!
THAT's what trainers are meant for sky dancer..
To train to an acceptable level,so that nobody is a 'liability' in the cockpit.
Remember,one day,YOU could be the liability ..:)

[rdr]

A380 Jockey So we can safely assume that rdr and sky dancer were NEVER a liability in the cockpit!

jock who is WE ?? and how do you come to such a safe assumption when you do not know either of us ??

Born with golden wings were you..??!!

well yes, there was always a pair around the house all my life, and i keep being given these shiny ones to pin on.


THAT's what trainers are meant for sky dancer..
To train to an acceptable level,so that nobody is a 'liability' in the cockpit.
Remember,one day,YOU could be the liability


now a lecture on the training element and aviation safety. from your posts, i realise that you are one of those uptight instructors who runs home with the ball midway in a match when his mama calls.

there has been zero substance in your post to support the theory that it is okay to hand a command to a 21 year old. (why not 15) which is what this general debate is about. instead, you choose to go personal. nobody targetted individuals except you in this thread, even a few days before your last post. this, in my opinion, is a character flaw which you will have to live with.

[A380 Jockey]

Rdr,
My post is amply relevant to ur last post.
And try and get your diction and grammar right before you post please. It helps readers understand,what might quite easily be mistaken for ramblings of a senile man. Just my 2 cents worth. Now off you go son. And take your rubber duckie with you will ya...:)

[rdr]

and now a lesson in grammar and english.

[vijayatpl]

I hope to apply for Indian RT or FRTO required age is 18....how could she get CPL at the age of 18 ?

[nitpicker330]

Mmmmm

Another Airline on my won't fly list.

They must be bloody joking?

Well good luck girl because you're going to need lots of it to make up for your very low experience.

And yes I too had my PPL at 17, CPL at 18 blah blah. But there is no way in hell I was ready to command a 70 Pax 30 tonne missile. Especially with an FO that most likely would have had even less experience than me!!

[josh121.5]

@nitpicker : u seem to be reeking of confidence ( pun intended ) ! just because u never had the confidence to pilot a 30 tonne aircraft at a young age dosent mean no one should . That girl didnt just jump into the LHS directly , she did her fair share of hard work and put in the effort and now she deserves it . Allrite let me put it this way , though ur national airline Qantas has the most experienced captains and blah blah blah... its still in everybody's no fly list aint it ?? :}

[nitpicker330]

I dont work for Qantas but if I did i would be proud of them.:ok:

It wasn't a confidence thing back when i was 21. I realised that I had to "walk before I could run"

I spent quite a few years in the right seat of Fokkers and Boeings and had a fair bit of maturity before I upgraded to the LHS and every one of those years were invaluable. The experience gained in actual operations watching the experienced guys in the LHS were priceless and anyone that thinks they can just step in and do it is fooling themselves and the travelling public that trust in them.

As a poster mentioned above there are many many challenges that can present themselves at the most inappropriate time and I only hope that the swiss cheese holes ( her's being much much bigger holes ) don't align themselves over India one dark stormy night.

Good luck to her, she's gunna need it more than once in India!!

[florida flamingo]

In Aviation a publicity stunt can easily turn around and bite you. Almost thirty years back an Air India publicity boasted that their captains could land on a news paper. Unfortunately a few months later a B707 of the same company landed on Mont Blanc and people joked about it. Hope this young very talented lady always lands on the center line of the runway!

[josh121.5]

@nitpicker : gud on ya ! that u had to work ur way up and i pretty sure u are a top notch pilot but mate all i'm sayin is just because she got an early break doesnt mean all the indian trainee pilots are experienced hobo's who have their life tailor made and have the first officer job gift wrapped and presented it to them .we do work our Ass off !and deserve to be in the RHS with just 250 hrs of flying . In no way does it make sense that you have to stick to general aviation for 3-5yrs in order to gain the experience to enter the big jets. If you got what it takes and the favour of god ! All things are possible...... :ok:

[superdunkaroos]

josh with that sort of attitude i hope you are never in the cockpit of a jet that i'm a passanger in

[josh121.5]

@superdunkaroos : u dont have to worry ! i dont intend to fly LCC's :} jus kiddin mate !

[nitpicker330]

Whatever makes you feel good josh.

250 hrs before getting the right seat ain't near enough my friend and one day when the wetness behind your ears drys off you may begin to comprehend.

Until then good luck and keep the blue side up.:ok:

Oh and if disaster strikes I certainly hope that the QRH covers it bud because you earn your pay and stripes working "outside" the QRH.
Just ask the QF boys in their A380 in Sin or the CX A330 boys landing at 230 kts in HK. They certainly had only 1 thing to rely apron on those 2 incidents my young learned friend,
Yes that right......EXPERIENCE.

Something the 21 yo new Captain and you DON'T YET HAVE.

So until you do excuse me if I don't recommend friends travel with any Indian registered Airline.

[josh121.5]

@nitpick : a good friend of mine who is just 20yrs old with basic casa cpl/ir and 100 hrs pic ,fly's for jetstar . care to comment ?? so i reckon u arent gonna recommend ur friends to fly jetstar too ;)



Men are wise in proportion, not to their experience, but to their capacity for experience.
- George Bernard Shaw

[Shell Management]

Can this thread PLEASE be renamed "21 Year old LADY youngest ATR Captain (http://www.pprune.org/south-asia-far-east/438667-21-year-old-girl-youngest-atr-captain.html)". Such casual sexism grates.

[Sky Dancer]

A380 jockey and the rest of the crowd - I hope my ramblings don't seem senile to most of you.I suggest you read my post carefully and also my previous posts over the years.You will see that I have a balanced unbiased view about this subject.You need to understand that in India , the system is different.You will be on the RHS of a high performance aircraft after your CPL.To keep it short , I had flown with some of the co pilots who are today Captains.While some were very good , there were many who were average or simply below average.Over time as a pilot one learns to detect certain inherent weaknesses in another pilot.Unless this is spotted and corrected , it will recurr at some point in that pilots career.I have seen it happen and I continue to see it happen.The problem in India today is that there is pressure to get people into the LHS and the truth is that many are simply not ready or capable.There is pressure to keep the expats out as much as possible and as a result you will see it's repurcusions in the future.Although I hope it does not happen , it seems inevitable as the sign are already there.For those who are actually in Indian aviation , you will know what I'm talking about.:ok:

[nitpicker330]

Josh..... Yes I won't be flying Jetstar anymore. I have in the past when they employed suitably experience crew but not anymore. I and many others have been opposing that for quite anwhile now.

It's the young ones like you that can hardly spell Boeing that think being an FO with 100 hrs is ok, no surprises there.

Anyone that thinks experience doesn't matter is a fool in the extreme.

As I've said before, good luck you're gunna need lots of it.:D

I'll just keep my eyes and ears wide open when flying in or near India :ok:

[hongkongfooey]

Nitpicker raises a valid point that not many have touched upon and many have chosen to ignore : It is a 2 pilot operation, when the captain has no experience and the F/O has even less how can that be considered safe ?
Jetstar has been mentioned and I can assure you that not one of the A320 skippers is close to 21 or 2,500 hrs of flying. If the guy/gal in the LHS has good experience it enables an airline to hire, rightly or wrongly, inexperienced F/Os, but to have no experience in both seats ?
And at 21 years old, I am sure the one thing she is not lacking is confidence, and therein lies a whole other problem.

.You need to understand that in India , the system is different

Well, India ( according to airfleets.net ) has the second highest amount of accidents in the world, second to the US who have just passed legislation to keep inexperinced pilots out of jets. Conversely Australia has one of the best records around and traditionally has had very experienced pilots in the rhs/lhs, that is about to change thanks to bottom-feeding Jetstar so watch this space :suspect:

[nitpicker330]

Unfortunately these young guns just don't get it at all.

A very senior Training Captain used to call them "sons and daughters of the magenta line", it was and is a very good description.

It's all fine and dandy to fly the aircraft around following the magenta line with A/P B engaged but quite another to have the experience to operate outside the realms of their training (QRH ) when bad situations present themselves. Lately most of the bad situations required a skill level from the crews outside the norm training to get the job done. ( QF and CX to name just 2 ) Skills not learned from Microsoft Flight Sim or indeed a close reading of FCOM 3.

More importantly because experienced crews have been doing it for quite a while they have a lot more EXCESS capacity in their Brain to analyse what is occurring and work through the problems in a logical manner.

Over the last 30 something years as a professional Aviator I've seen young Top Guns and Old hands and guess which one I'd trust my families lives with???
Yep it ain't the young Top Guns.

[A-3TWENTY]

Strangely there are some words that are losing their meaning in aviation.

One of them is airmanship.The new generation of plastic pilots barely know what it means.

The other one is experience.After a few sim sections normally poorly done ,and a few hours in front of the FCOMs people come to the conclusion that experience is not necessary anymore.
In all professional activities , experience is welcome.In aviation ,they are discovering that 100 hours is so good, that some countries are introducing the MPL, which will deliver even less experienced F/O to the line.

There are no substitute for experience,and a person with 21 y.o ,despite beeing the best pilot in the world still didn`t have time to get a minimum of experience and matureness.

The question examiners should ask for themselves before releasing a new Captain is:Would I feel confortable leaving all my family in an airplane with this guy at controls?

But , unfortunately, even the TRE`s are not what they used to be.Some of them don`t know even for themselves.

A3TWENTY

[powerstall]

Hmmm... can somebody remind me if this is a competition of being the youngest at this... or the youngest at that?
I recalled some old and wise geezer asked me "Do you wanna be a great pilot or an old pilot?" at that time i didn't know which was the best answer.... but now after all of the experience i am gaining and sure am still learning a lot... it would be best to be an old pilot.
Experience is the best teacher, because it will give you a hindsight of what to do just in case a situation happens that is out of the box or NOT LISTED in the QRH. oh unless they have a sat phone and call their mommy.

And AIRMANSHIP? it can never be taught, it is learned unless THEY have a BOOK for AIRMANSHIP... hmmm gives me an idea to write one....

oh well back to the drawing board.... :ugh:

[nitpicker330]

Sour grapes? Is that the best you can say?

Man oh man what is this world coming too!!

I worked for MAS for 4 years so ya can't fool me about their accident free record!! I've been there done that and have the T Shirt to prove it.
As for SQ!! IF they had 2 experienced FO's on board that 744 in TPE I venture to suggest there would have been a different outcome on the day and maybe the FO might have had the experience to speak up.

You cant get experience from just reading about it in FCOM 3, you have to be out there in the real world DOING IT day in day out under various levels of stress. How much experience is enough? I dont think you can ever have enough but for certain 20 yo FO's with 200 hrs ain't seen enough to be second in charge of a bathtub let a lone a 50 tonne Jet with 150 people depending on them.

[Sky Dancer]

If you guys want an answer just fish out the incidents that have been happening in India during the last 6 months.Certainly does raise the hair on your back.:ok:

[break_break]

Since I can't possibly add on to all the excellent elaborations by nitpicker330 and hongkongfooey, etc. I shall keep my opinions plain and simple.

Point No. 1
You can train any average bloke to be a PIC in no time on any modern jet nowadays on routine ops. Just need good discipline, strong memory retention and a good tad of common sense and you'll be there.

Point No. 2
NOTHING can substitute EXPERIENCE. PERIOD.

Bottom line, it depends on how far an airline is willing to go prior to tossing the 4bars onto anyone. I guess in this case, KFA has weighed all options and preferred the publicity stunt. If point no. 2 is NOT true, do you ever believe that the bean counters in the vast majority of Asian carriers will actually not do the same?
Best of luck to the youngest ATR skipper, as someone has put it rightly, she might just need it some day.

[leftseatview]

i would say that is a very accurate assessment, break_break

[rdr]

my opinion is that aviation is a science that evolves by the minute. the training process worldwide, is geared to cater to the weakest pilot, not the aces. a lot of hard analysis and prescience has gone into making concrete rules and guidelines. there are reasons for example, why a 16 year old is not issued with a CPL, or, a why a nations president is not a young adult. this is an issue not about if, hopefully, maybe with luck, ra ra ra well done. she should not be blamed at all. KFA is downright reckless. will they now promote another 100 more 21 yr olds ?? if this does indeed happen, all pilots in the country will suffer the consequences.
it does show a lack of maturity and long term vision in KFA, and perhaps the, country for allowing it.

[horse99]

i was also in that airindia batch. bavicca passed the airindia sim check and was doing the medicals when she got selected for kingfisher.

she joined kingfisher because she did not like the work-environment in the govt airline.

[flower girl]

so did she do her papers and get the license the hard way or is her license a fake one like all the would be newbies pilots :uhoh:

[boeingdream787]

@ A380 Jockey,
I think I know for sure who this 'young laddie' is, who you're talking about, and who started flying as an F/O for a major indian carrier at the age of 18 yrs, way back in '84-'85(i'm assuming he's the one you were referring to).
I'm sorry if he's not the same 'laddie' but i'm quite certain nonetheless. I do believe he got his command at a very early age of about 23 odd. At that point in time he was certainly the youngest FO and then Capt to fly around. He would be a certain Sunny Kapur who,I believe is now with SIA. The reason I know this is cause I heard one of my buddies(from Air India)talking about him over one of the many beers we had had....;)
He was last with AI, I believe, and had a budding career ahead of him. I'm quite certain he's doing well for himself with SIA however. Should you wish to contact him,I could fish around for his contact details.
Hope this helps. Always there for a fellow aviator...:ok:

[A380 Jockey]

Boeingdream787,
Yep mate.Thats the boy.And thanks for the information.I had the good fortune to chat with him on phone and also caught up with his ol man(who was an old buddy of mine too).He is a veteran pilot too and goes by the handle 'King',in aviation circles.
Great guys and even better pilots.Thanks again for the update.
Check your PM
:)

[boeingdream787]

@ A380 Jockey,
Thanks for the numbers. I didnt know his old man was a pilot too. Great to know of it.
And if I recall correctly,this boy got command on a jet at 23 right? Not sure if it was a bus or a boeing,but I heard from the boys that it WAS a jet..
And all this more than 25 years ago!
Great going....:ok:
Thanks again.

[airman13]

i guess is an indian joke...wondering if the examiner was just his mother, but one thing in this news is great...,i will stay away of any indian carrier, and my friends too........

[Silly Pilot]

Another proud moment in Indian History. Raving on about a pilot that would not be considered qualified in the real aviation world outside of India and to believe ounce again that they are the first at everything.
Just sayin. :hmm:

I have friends that fly in Indian Airlines. I hear how the SICs can not land the plane or make a normal approach. If the PIC dies, so does everyone else on the plane. :eek:

Chinese airlines have no problem hiring and using experienced ex-pats to crew their jets as needed in the right seats. They have not lowered their standards just to hire the Chinese kids.

In India, experienced ex-pat pilots are not permitted to be hired to fill the right seat of the plane, forcing operators to hire any Indian national with a Commercial license and a pulse.

[A380 Jockey]

@ Silly Pilot,
Not raving about anything here fellas. Started off by trying to correct a small albiet incorrect statment regarding the youngest pilot,made earlier in this post.
That's all.....:cool:
For that matter i'm not even indian.
Cheerio

[Silly Pilot]

@A380. My post was not aimed at any particular post. Just another observation.
Cheers!

[Sky Dancer]

You are right , India does have it's own problems but I've heard of Sunny Kapoor myself and all that flew with him did say that he was good,very good.And I would certainly feel safe in an aircraft with him flying.:ok:

[A380 Jockey]

@ Silly Pilot,
I do apologise for jumping to a conclusion. My bad.
Thanks for clarifying.
@ Sky Dancer,
You have a very high, tone sensitivity(ie a high level of QC),just as myself,when it comes to good pilot judgement.
I would tend to agree with your last post.
Be safe.....and never compromise!

[King on a Wing]

Guys.....sorry for the thread drift(if any). Heard the banter and decided to chip in.
This is with regards to Capt.Sunny Kapur. I know him personally(although,I'm quite certain that his memory of me could be a bit foggy).
All that's said 'bout him in the above posts is too little to describe him.
Great guy,an even better pilot. Great human being and an even better teacher. Selective sometimes,in who he might share his vast resources with. But share,he will! You just gotta prod him a bit. And show your keeness.
And I should know. I was one of his dumbest students!
But,everytime I left the cockpit from one of my training flights with him.....EVERYTIME, I knew I walked out a better pilot. And a more confident one at that. THAT's the mark of a true teacher.
Which is also why I am where I am today...!
In totality. Owe it all to him.
And yes,he WAS the youngest pilot of his time.
A few more like him,and we would have much better times in aviation here in india...:D
Sorry if I got emotional there and a bit philosophical,but hearing good of one's mentors makes one like this!
Off now,
Over n out
KOAW

[boeingdream787]

Koaw, No thread drift there. Quite appropriate post I might add.
And from what i've heard,I would tend to agree with you wholeheartedly. Good to see one acknowledging one's instructor(s).

[rdr]

A380 jockstraps

[I]I do apologise for jumping to a conclusion. My bad.
Thanks for clarifying.
@ Sky Dancer,
You have a very high, tone sensitivity(ie a high level of QC),just as myself,when it comes to good pilot judgement.
I would tend to agree with your last post.
Be safe.....and never compromise! [/I

i cant believe this sort of crap being posted here. jockstraps, this is not the first time. you may want to try some humility. its the first step to becoming a good aviator. and i do feel that you have got it in you to make it someday.

[A380 Jockey]

Rdr,
We have had our differences in the past. But I think its time we let go of them.
I agree I have a long way to go in becoming a good aviator. As do we all. That's the name of the game isn't it. Learning...all the time.
Thanks for taking the time to point it out.
Peace now ...:)

[rdr]

ok Jockers, stay well,
rdr

[boeingdream787]

Wow. That almost got hectic.
As a wise man once said,
'Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other..'
I believe he was right on the money.

[A380 Jockey]

Excellent quote BD787.
And thanks for the support. AND all the info you helped me with regards to the sweet Legend of Sunny Kapur.
(Sorry couldn't help it..)
Cheers again and fly safe always...:ok::ok::ok:
See you on the airwaves sometime ..

[King on a Wing]

Great quote BD. And so very appropriate for the man in question. I feel proud and honoured to have had him as my guru and mentor.
Ta ta now

[boeingdream787]

Thanks koaw. I meant every word.
Now back to the topic at hand ..

[A380 Jockey]

Just met sunny kapur briefly yesterday, boeingdream787.....
And he remembers you very well and very fondly indeed!
Such fantastic bonds are really developed over a great period of time and a great deal of trust.
Great, great fella. Spoke to his old lady too. She was an aviator too some moons ago you know. Swapped notes and nostalgia. Shall PM you all the relevant stuff. Are you aware that he was one of the youngest trainer too!
Oh well, i just found out. And that too from HIS instructor....:O
Such trivia needs to be published somewhere.
Otherwise it just becomes another number on a licence.
Am proud....that i still have such good connections...
Cheerio my fellow aviators!

[FR8R H8R]

Just reading the title i threw up in my mouth.

[A380 Jockey]

Agreed. Not the greatest of titles for thread starters...:)

[King on a Wing]

Just met a 34 year old T7 skipper with one year of Command on the widebody already under his belt...o-0

Wonder if this is what the future is going to be hereon. What with the explosive expansion of the ME and other world air carriers.

Safety or Economics...?!
( Not indicating for a moment eitherways ).

[Bueno Hombre]

Young but female, so at least no stupid young male hormones to make things worse.

[King on a Wing]

I never said the skipper was a 'she'. I was talking about a male 34 year old skipper.
Sorry about the mis comm. But your valuable gender biased comment holds true nevertheless.
;)


PS-I had the good fortune of flying with the Original holder of the 'Youngest Pilot' title Captain Sunny Kapur mentioned here... http://www.pprune.org/south-asia-far-east/438667-21-year-old-girl-youngest-atr-captain.html#post6171302 , a couple of weeks ago on one of my many USA return flights with a certain 5 star airline.
Three things I'd like to state here.



1) What I experienced with him was one of the best take off and landing that I have ever experienced with ANY airline within the few million miles that I do every year!



2) For what its worth, he is not with Singapore Airlines anymore. Rather with the Legacy and Original Five Star Airline, Qatar Airways.

I say this because of the exemplary in flight service I received from the QR cabin staff and because of the phenomenal flying conditions that I experienced first hand via the skills of Commander Sunny Kapur's Take offs and Landings. I would feel very safe with QR henceforth knowing that young and experienced Captains like him are at the controls of this huge aeroplane.
:)
I know his skills to be legendary in their own right.



3) One of the best in flight and pre flight announcements that I have heard from a captain of QR in a very very long time.
( But to put things in perspective, the others I liked were with Qantas and then with Virgin ). But by far one of the best was from Sunny.

I think Safety rules well over Economics with this expanding ME carrier.
Would be an interesting few years to watch out for.
Watch this space.

Thanks people.
Over and out.

KOAW

[A380 Jockey]

KOAW,
I know Captain Kapoor quite well.
And I would wholly agree with your post....:)
Enjoy your trips and flights with him.
Are you with Qatar Airways? Are they currently hiring any DEC skippers on the Airbus fleet?
the website says otherwise.
Please check your PMs.
Tks

[Fantome]

What I experienced with him was one of the best take off and landing that I have ever experienced with ANY airline within the few million miles that I do every year!


yawn . .. . . an everyday . . . an every hour occurrence . .. . in parts of the world you may not have flown

if its a smooth descent and greaser after greaser that gives you a warm inner glow . . . . sample 'death-stars' A320 men and women at it in the wheelhouse .. . they too have the game scunned

not entirely relevant - 'the take-off is optional . . the landing is compulsory'

[boeingdream787]

Very well written post, King on a Wing,
Not too many men, especially aviators, have the mental maturity or the inner strength and confidence of character to appreciate a good colleague's good work.
Case in point the previous poster.
You for one have shown both confidence in yourself and the ability to appreciate another. What fleet is this pilot on, with QR.
Job well done.

Fantome-A good landing begins with a good approach which begins with a good descent which in turn depends directly onto a well choreographed flight.
Complacency(your yawn for example) is the enemy. ;)
Cheerio

[Flaperon777]

A380 Jock. If this is the same sunny kapur that I know of then I can tell you on good authority that he's not just an ace pilot but equally strong in his vast technical knowledge.
A very deep thinker, an avid reader a great instructor and mentor and one of the kindest souls I have had the good fortune of flying with.
Besides me he also tutored and mentored my lil brother. Taught us the valuable 'tricks of the trade' which I in turn teach my own pupils on an everyday basis!
And yes. He was one of the youngest pilots of his time. And a brilliant one at that!
An equally misunderstood human being by his 'well wishers'. An asset he will be to any company he flies with. And full of loyalty for his employers.
My words will never be enough...:ok:

[Top gun pilot 797]

Now I hear of this 26 year old lady captain from easyjet claims to be the youngest captain.
Hmmmmm
I think that ship has sailed

[International Trader]

What a load of rubbish.

The youngest captain only means that, at that particular moment in time, there was no one else with the minimum experience and ability in line at that company. I am sure that there would be even younger and better pilots out there somewhere but, they were not next in line. Youngest does not mean best so,what is the big deal?

The unfortunate part is that even if this 21 year old or cpt Sunny are any good, their abilities and qualifications will always live under the shadow of the Asian aviation industry. This is an industry that is rife with graft, corruption , cheating and sycophancy in order to gain promotion. I wish I could have included ability.

King on a wing,
Your post about wonderful take offs and announcements appears to come from an uninformed or sycophantic person.

You would be surprised how many senior, instructor(?), gifted and deep thinking "aviation gods" ( yes with wonderful announcements as well as wonderful take offs and landings) that I have found to be completely inept when challenged with even a relatively minor abnormal.

[Top gun pilot 797]

International traitor.
Do I sense a little bit of green algae under the stagnant waters of your own self esteem and career.
Sour grapes maybe.
Any achievement is worth it's worth. If viewed correctly.

But I don't blame you.
Have a great weekend.

[International Trader]

TG,
An interesting slant on my name but, based on what line of thought?
Am I a traitor to the aviation industry or just your version of it?
Even more interesting is someone who choses to name himself as a "Top Gun" of a plane that doesn't even exist. Are you already logging hours on the type?

I have no envy ,my self esteem is intact and my career complete. I however, find it now very liberating to tell the truth about what I have seen during my career.

I find it very short sighted and actually disgusting that people today prefer to cheat instead of even trying to do the work to obtain a standard. They have cheapened the profession that they have entered and will probably complain about their loss of esteem later,never admitting that they were the cause. Do they even care? I think not.

Ever wonder why professionals ( doctors, lawyers and pilots)from third world countries have difficulty in having their credentials recognized in the first world? They and their credentials are just not trusted.


Noticed the trend for third world students ( that 21 year old cpt included)to obtain any sort tertiary qualification from a Western University ( even if it is 'The Blah, Blah ,On Line, University of The Grand Canyon')?
Why not stand proud of obtaining a qualification from a quality university in their own country? The jig is up, that's why.

A good weekend to you, Top Gun 797.

[jetjockey696]

Well if you got 3000hrs and 1000 jet. You could pay for a captain seat.. So a very young FO flying for a LCC, pay a large deposit and be a captain within a year..

[Flaperon777]

International trader, that's a load of burnt bull crap.
Could smell it right here from the Inernational Space Station.
Feel bad for the likes of you.

@ A380 Jockey, Cp Sunny Kapur is sadly no longer with Qatar or Singapore. I think he is with some other Middle East carrier as we speak. I shall try my best to re establish contact with him. And I shall PM you once I do. It will be well worth my while to reconnect with the legend.
Check your PM's.
Adios.

[HPSOV L]

Good for her. I seem to recall my some of my peers getting left seat on C130s, P3s and even 727s in their early 20s and flying around the world. We were a hell of a lot sharper then than we are now.

[Flaperon777]

I completely agree. We were a whole lot sharper then.
Could well be the absence or relative lack of cutting edge aerospace technology so readily available on the current flight decks.

[flash8]

Could well be the absence or relative lack of cutting edge aerospace technology so readily available on the current flight decks.

Glass killed skills.

Wonder how many of the current bunch of LCC entrants would handle a 732.

Obviously a rhetorical question.

[Flaperon777]

Even the ab initio lot of pilots who started off on the very next gen B734 couldn’t handle the B732 :p
Was a real beauty to fly. Especially the ‘over rated’ -17A engines :ok:

[Captain Spam Can]

Glass killed skills.

Wonder how many of the current bunch of LCC entrants would handle a 732.

Obviously a rhetorical question.

Mmmmmm well I seem to remember a few skippers in a regional outfit flying around in large steam driven gauge turboprops with no autopilot all raw data but failed courses on the glass panel turbo props so we're put back onto the old girls. Another skipper failed a 737-300 sim check interview with an LCC as he couldn't fly 'glass'.

I find the two types of flying are arguable differnt and have their own challenges but none more so than the other just differnt. If one didn't have some mutual respect you could say.....

'Wonder how many pre historic poor CRM old school people could handle a complex emergency in an advanced jet such as an A320' :ugh:

I for one respect both past and present :ok:

[International Trader]

International trader, that's a load of burnt bull crap.
Could smell it right here from the Inernational Space Station.
Feel bad for the likes of you.

@ A380 Jockey, Cp Sunny Kapur is sadly no longer with Qatar or Singapore. I think he is with some other Middle East carrier as we speak. I shall try my best to re establish contact with him. And I shall PM you once I do. It will be well worth my while to reconnect with the legend.
Check your PM's.
Adios.

Well , Flapperon777,
Nothing like a scathing reply after...... a year ( almost to the day). Talk about burning bull dust, it reminds me of descending into India at night. As you passed 3000', you could smell the sh-t through the air conditioning or, was it you spouting off?
My comments were nothing to do with the individual, just about the corrupt system in Asia and India ,in particular . Your god of aviation , Cpt Sunny, is probably a nice guy but, you have cast a shaddow on him with your obvious amateur adoration and participation in a corrupt and immoral aviation system.
There was a time when pilots were men of honour and integrity. We have all been tarnished by the lies and deceptions of those without morals. Thankyou , "gentlemen"?

By the way, I have checked my messages and, nothing. Perhaps, when you tried to re-connect with Sunny , he has distanced himself from you. I know that I would.

[fatbus]

Many of the pilots 2 hours east of the ME do not have any honour. Some have made inroads in the ME and think very highly of themselves!!

[Flaperon777]

Quite possible IT.
Fly safe and be happy.
Off now…😎

[King on a Wing]

Fatbus.
No offence meant here.But how many aviators do you know of these days don’t think highly of themselves.
I see it as some sort of a pilot survival mechanism.Massaging one’s self in a manner of speaking.
And it’s not geographically limited either. 😉

[Lucifer786]

International trader, that's a load of burnt bull crap.
Could smell it right here from the Inernational Space Station.
Feel bad for the likes of you.

@ A380 Jockey, Cp Sunny Kapur is sadly no longer with Qatar or Singapore. I think he is with some other Middle East carrier as we speak. I shall try my best to re establish contact with him. And I shall PM you once I do. It will be well worth my while to reconnect with the legend.
Check your PM's.
Adios.

Ahaaaaaa, Sunny Kapur or SS as he is fondly known 😘
What about him???! Sorry I reached this thread via the search function with way too much time on my hands thanks to this pandemic 🙄

I know Cap Kapur very well. Great guy, Great aviator. Awesome manager. And the best trainer ever !
Anybody know where he is these days pls do pm me with contact details. He was my very first instructor in commercial aviation a decade and half ago. And to this day I keep his notes.
God speed 👍👍👍

[Flaperon777]

Truly an ace flyer if i have ever seen one ! A true blue trainer and a legendary instructor. Solid on knowledge and teaching methodology.
I very clearly remember we had a chance meet some circa ago in London. He was finishing his Instructor course on the NG’s and I was there to do my initial training on the same. Couldn’t quite get the grasp of the NG FMS. Happened to do a sim with Capt. Sunny Kapur on my left seat during one of my training sorties. He was so quick to pick up my insecurity that almost writhing 10 minutes of completing the session debrief he called me over to his room where he offered to walk me to the nearest pub around the corner. Not knowing what this was all about, I couldn’t do much but agree. Three rounds of beer later ( all paid for by him 🍻) and less than an hour later I got up from that bar with every single NG system so so crystal clear in my head and not an aorta of a doubt on the working of the dreaded FMS..!! And all this over a couple of pints of lager !
I am now a DE / TRE for a government agency as flight inspector. And I still look up on that day with awe and megatons of respect for the selfless way in which I was force fed knowledge which I was in fact starved of to begin with. And to this day I try and do it his way but every single time I come up short with my pupils and trainees. It’s not an art, it’s a gift !
And only a handful in this world of aviation have it. Sunny is one of them.
BTW he is no longer in the ME. He is very soon joining Boeing as Instructor. Will be the airline world’s loss and the manufacturer’s gain if he does !
All the best to him whatever he chooses in these trying times.

[Flaperon777]

Ahaaaaaa, Sunny Kapur or SS as he is fondly known 😘
What about him???! Sorry I reached this thread via the search function with way too much time on my hands thanks to this pandemic 🙄

I know Cap Kapur very well. Great guy, Great aviator. Awesome manager. And the best trainer ever !
Anybody know where he is these days pls do pm me with contact details. He was my very first instructor in commercial aviation a decade and half ago. And to this day I keep his notes.
God speed 👍👍👍

Hi Lucifer,
if it’s the same person we’re both referring to then Cp Sunny Kapur is no longer in the Middle East. A little birdie tells me he’s joined Boeing as an IP and is based somewhere in the Far East. That was what I last heard. Shall try and get his ping details. Should that happen I’ll be sure to PM you. And I’ll remember to say your hello to the Legend.

Best of luck again !

[azoff]

Wow, it is amazing

[Top gun pilot 797]

Incredible credentials for an aviator especially when you consider so many other factors about him.
I have heard a lot about Capt Sunny Kapur and I am fairly certain that he is currently working somewhere in the Far East. I hope he is doing well. Has done so much for aviation and aviators worldwide wherever he has worked that I wouldn’t be able to mention it all even if I wanted to!
A real asset to any airline or employer that he works for. Had the good fortune to work alongside him in a couple of his prior ventures.
May you always stay airborne sir