Maharashtra’s youngest pilot Jayhan Bhagvati: I wasn't looking to break records, I just love flying planes

While he has become to the youngest person to hold a pilot license, this 17-year-old wasn't looking to make or break any records.

Following in his grandfather’s, father’s and older brother’s footsteps, Jayhan Bhagvati, at 17, has become the youngest pilot to get his license in Maharashtra. He beat record holder Neetu Gupta who got her license at 18 in 2002. “I wasn’t looking to break any records, I just love to fly planes. It has always been something I wanted to do. I was inspired by my father as I used to see him fly planes to all different places as a child. He was also my first instructor,” says the young aviator, who began his training at the age of 16. When he is not soaring the skies, he loves to play all kinds of sports, including swimming and playing squash.

Jayhan Bhagvati

Jayhan Bhagvati

Jayhan’s family has a long-standing relationship with the aviation field, as his grandfather, Deepak Bhagvati was a chief engineer with Air India. His father, Mihir Bhagvati is a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) examiner and owns an aircraft charter company, which has a Cessna 172 aircraft that Jayhan has practised on. His older brother, Captain Shivan Bhagvati, also holds a commercial pilot license.