‘Aviation wasn’t a childhood dream’: What flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar said in old interview

In an old video, Machchhar revealed that becoming a pilot was not something he had planned as a child

An old interview with pilot Smit Machchhar has resurfaced on social media after he helped avert a disaster aboard a flydubai flight bound for Israel on September 30.

Machchhar was injured during an incident involving his co-pilot, who allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft. However, Machchhar managed to activate the mechanism that opened the cockpit door. This allowed passengers and crew members to enter the cockpit and overpower the co-pilot.

Machchhar has since received praise, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and US President Donald Trump hailing the Indian pilot as a hero.

From textile engineering, management course to aviation

Amid the attention surrounding the incident, a podcast in which Machchhar spoke about his journey into aviation and the challenges of working in a cockpit has gone viral.

In the podcast, Machchhar said he hadn’t planned to become a pilot as a child. Growing up, he had expected to join his family’s textile business. “Aviation was not a childhood dream. It came much later in life,” he said.

After school, Machchhar pursued a course in textile engineering, and later enrolled in a management course, intending to gain skills that could help him expand his family business.

“I was still young, so I wanted to do a little more study to help grow the family business, and the obvious course to follow it up was a management course,” he recalled.

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During his management studies, Machchhar attended an aviation seminar that introduced him to the possibility of becoming a pilot. “I found the details about the aviation course, and it was quite interesting for me,” he added.

Fear of flying

Machchhar was 19 when he eventually decided to pursue aviation as a career. However, the decision initially worried his mother. Asked about his family’s reaction to his career choice, Machchhar said, “My mom was scared.”

He said aviation was viewed differently when he was starting than it is today. “Because aviation today and aviation 15-17 years ago was completely different. You did not hear of a lot of people becoming pilots,” he said.

“So that was one thing that scared mom. The second, of course, was flying,” Machchhar said.

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He said his father was more comfortable with the decision.

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‘God’s favourite child’

The video quickly gained traction, drawing a wave of reactions.

“He is the most loved guy in the world today and tomorrow,” a user wrote.

“God’s favourite child,” another user commented.

“Proud of you, young man. God bless you,” a third user reacted.