Dalip Singh Majithia, a retired Squadron leader, enjoys being the oldest living Indian Air Force fighter pilot. He turned 100 on the 27th of July.
Retired in August 1947 when the country attained Independence, Dalip Singh Majithia was just under 21 years old when he flew his first flight. As per a report in NDTV,
“Dalip Singh Majithia, just 20 years old in 1940, flew his first solo flight, a flight that paved the way for a lifetime in aviation – first in the Air Force and then as a private pilot.”
The Indian Air Force took to twitter to extend their greetings to the centenarian. It wrote,
“IAF extends its best wishes to Sqn Ldr Dalip Singh Majithia (retd) on his 100th birthday today. He retired in Aug 1947 & holds the distinction of being the oldest IAF fighter pilot now.”
First Person To Land A Plane In Kathmandu Valley
Dalip Singh flew the legendary Hawker Hurrican on the Burma front during the second world war. Along with being the oldest, he was also the first person to land a plane in the Kathmandu valley decades later. Speaking to NDTV, he told,
“I still feel that I’m in it, when I meet [Indian Air Force] officers. My batch people aren’t there anymore, we used to have our meetings on the first of August every year for some time.”
Dalip Singh Majithia landed his last flight, officially, on the 16th January 1979 in a Beechcraft Bonanza.
Source: India Times
