17-year-old becomes state’s youngest private pilot

Earlier, the record was held by Neetu Gupta who received her license in 2002 when she was aged 18 years

Mumbai: 17-year-old Jayhan Bhagvati from Khar became the youngest private pilot in the state when he received his licence on March 21. Earlier, the record was held by Neetu Gupta who received her license in 2002 when she was aged 18 years. While Gupta had been trained at the Bombay Flying Club, her record breaker’s father Mihir Bhagvati is the president of the same club.

17-year-old becomes state’s youngest private pilot

The Bhagvati family’s association with aviation runs deep. Jayhan’s grandfather Deepak Bhagvati was a chief engineer with Air India, his father is a DGCA examiner, while his elder brother has a commercial pilot license. The family runs a non-scheduled operator and owns a Cessna 172 aircraft.

Born on October 29, 2006, Jayhan Bhagvati appeared for his class 12 board exams earlier this year from Mithibai College. He began flying with his father when he was a child.

“My first guru is my father, so also my instructor,” he told HIndustan Times after becoming the state’s youngest pilot. “My first flight was in January 2023 and my first solo flight on May 30, 2023. I appeared for the flying test on January 10, 2024, in Thiruvananthapuram with Captain K T Rajendra and, later, in March-end. It’s really thrilling to fly over the skies of Mumbai,’’ he said.

His father shared fond memories of trips with his son when he was younger. “Jayhan used to sit with me in the cockpit of the Cessna 172 and watch me fly since he was a child,” he said, recalling that was very observant, especially when faced they turbulence. “He would watch me manoeuvre the aircraft intently. It is a proud moment today that he flies alone over the skies of Mumbai.”

Jayhan Bhagvati, who wants to pursue a BSc in aviation, has begun flying for the mandatory 200 hours required for securing a commercial pilot licence.