19-year-old Maitri Patel from Surat has created history by becoming the youngest commercial pilot in India. We tell you more. By Aneesh Kumar
Maitri Patel from Surat has created history by becoming the youngest commercial pilot in India. Touching the skies at the young age of 19, this young pilot turned every stone to make her dreams come true.
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Despite being from a not-so-stable financial background, Patel went on to pursue a pilot training program in the USA and completed her course in a record 11 months, reports India Today.
In an interview, she recalled seeing a plane and a pilot for the first time when she was just eight, when she set her mind to become a pilot herself. She said that she completed her Class XII education in India, and right after, went to the USA to complete her training to become a commercial pilot.
Why Maitri Patel became a pilot
Expressing their joy, Patel’s parents talked about how it all unfolded—starting from selling their ancestral land to pay the fees for on-ground training at Mumbai and sending her to the USA for her commercial pilot training course. Patel’s father, Kantilal Patel told Ahmedabad Mirror that he used to ferry passengers from Surat to Mumbai airport to earn money, and used to see planes take-off and land. That’s when he decided he wanted his daughter to become a pilot and travel the world. He enrolled her in an English medium school, too.
CM Shri @vijayrupanibjp today met 19-year-old Maitri Patel, a farmer’s daughter from Olpad, Surat, and congratulated her on becoming the youngest female commercial pilot after receiving vocational training in the US and also wished this pride of Gujarat a sky-touching career. pic.twitter.com/R4qHdbOQkb
— CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) September 7, 2021
Setting eyes on the future, the little pilot aims at conquering the skies and wants to fly the Boeing aircraft for which she will begin training soon.
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