It was Jan 2007 when I was inducted in spicejet. Our induction program was the coolest thing ever. There were I guess 30 of us that day. People from all the test centers were there. It was the first time we all met. Little did we know how close we would become. There we were standing in front of spicejet office, the dream of becoming an airline pilot ever so closer. To our surprise it wasn’t just us who spicejet were inducting that day.
We entered a hall filled woth air hostresses and no this is not a playboy fantasy story I cooked up. There stood another 30 girls and a couple of guys. Just like us they too had excitement written all over their faces for they too were being inducted the same time we were.
The induction went great. Siddhanta Sharma the then CEO of Spicejet welcomed us. It was probably the coolest welcome anyone ever gave to us. Gradually the heads of each and every department came up an spoke about what their role in the company and they too welcomed us with all smiles. They made us feel like family and in the months to come even though we never were in touch with the company per say we always felt a belonging in that company.
Of course their was Ajay tarapally who was the idiot of the day as usual. ( He is an amazing pilot and a great guy who just opens his mouth at the wrong time and the wrong place and says the wrongest thing on earth.) Well the problem was he sorta expected the air hostresses to clean up his lunch plate after he was done and of course he said it out loud. He got the blasting of a life time and not only from the spicejet guys but from us too. Well truth be told he was I guess 18 or 19 and well thats how every idiot his age are anyways. He has grown a lot since then.
Well the same feeling of belonging finally came 6 months later when I finally was able to fly my first flight. It was at 5 in the morning but then again no one sleeps before their first flight. The excitement was in each and everyone’s faces. Our entire batch were getting to fly our 1st flights that very same day. It was the most anticipated day of our entire lives and one we will never forget. I took the first van ride at 3:30 in the morning and got there searching for my instructor. He was my age a little shorter than me named Shaun Brown. I was his first student. We got introduced and he showed me how to check the weather out and do the weight and balance. Then it was off to the plane. N4153W was her name. I cannot forget that name for the rest of my life. Well I even got it tattooed on my arm. Shaun showed me how the preflight was done and then it was finally the time I always waited for. I got to sit in the left seat atlast after soo many days.
Starting a plane is not as easy as I thought it would be. Even for a small plane like the DA20 its quite crazy. Shaun showed me what all I needed to do and finally i cranked that engine. The roar of the continental engine is still in my mind. He told me what to say on the radio and I was finally cleared to taxi. At first it was crazy to steer simple because you are not used to steering with your feet. You will gradually get it but at first its quite irritating.
We did the runup and finally we got the clearance to takeoff and that was it. Me along with my instructor push the throttle to full and off we went accelerating to 55 kts before I was told to pull the stick back. There it was. My first takeoff. You could actually feel the wheels lift off the ground and push you through the air. The power was enormous and the feeling was amazing. I still get goosebumps remembering that day. At first I felt petrified as it was soo unnatural but then I finally felt the joy. I was finally flying after soo long and that joy will never leave me.
Shaun basically did touch and goes that day and showed me how to land. Of course I had the controls under his watchful eye. Incase anyone tells you they landed on their first flight I am telling you it wasn’t them but their instructor who landed. No instructor will have the brains or the balls to do that on their first flight. No one was born with wings so don’t believe people when they tell you this.
I finally landed back and still figuring out how to taxi but that was a great day I will never ever forget for the rest of my life.
P.S- No I didnt take any air hostress’s numbers that day cause these damn companies have very strict policies and didn’t really want to screw up on the first day now do I.
