At 18, Sakshi Kochhar has become the youngest commercial pilot in India. She achieved this milestone by surpassing Maitri Patel, who previously held the record by obtaining her license at the age of 19.
“When I was a kid, I thought only birds can fly. And then we took a flight and I was amazed. I got really curious as to how a flight works and did a lot of research and watched many videos about it,” says Sakshi.
Hailing from Parwanoo (Himachal Pradesh), the pilot shares that she always wanted to get into a profession that was offbeat. She confesses to initially wanting to be a choreographer.
“I always knew that I wanted to do something unique. Not your regular 9-to-5 jobs. At first, it was dance, but later I was more inclined towards being a pilot,” she says. By the age of 10, she was sure about being a pilot, says her father Lokesh Kumar Kochhar.
“When she told us about it, we were a little scared. But her grandparents backed the decision and helped us make up our mind,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}“When she told us about it, we were a little scared. But her grandparents backed the decision and helped us make up our mind,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}“In Class 12, I studied at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10, Chandigarh, and went for sciences (physics and mathematics) as that’s required for being a pilot. Immediately after that, I joined the Skyline Aviation Club in Mumbai and did the four-month theory training under Captain AD Manek. Then, I went for seven-and-a-half-month further ground theory training, air-traffic avoidance training, and flying practicals in the US,” she says.
Her first solo flight was on December 21, 2022, and this year, she received her commercial pilot licence from the US on May 30, which is also her birthday.
“It was a double celebration. My family was so proud to see me in the uniform,” she says.
“Most kids her age are indecisive. But seeing her achieve this feat is a very emotional and proud moment for us,” says her dad, Lokesh.
“I was there on one of her flights and it was an out-of-the-world, surreal experience to have my child flying me,” he adds. “What I love the most about flying is being able to travel far and wide and getting to see all those stunning views. The sunsets and sunrise look most beautiful from the cockpit,” she adds.
On what her future plans are, she says that she wants to work in India for which she will need an Indian commercial pilot licence. “I have to take the RTR exam for that in August this year so the preparations are on,” she says.