To fly was his dream and he was in Cockpit today

Meet, First Officer at STAR AIR Hrishikesh V. Patil, who was among the crew of Star Air’s maiden Bengaluru-Belagavi Flight today

At the age of 4 when kids play with toys and when asked, what will you be when you grow up, you can get many answers and one most common one is a pilot. But not many become indeed. He also dreamt the same to become a pilot. And he was there, in the Cockpit of the Star Air

There is an AirPort in Bidar, Air Force Station where pilots are trained on Surya Kiran fighter planes. In fact, he was inspired by Surya Kirans when he was just 3 years old and run out of his house every time the plane flew over his house.

He perceived by is dreams with his parents and elder sister lending their best support and guidance. After schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya in Mysuru and Belagavi, he pursued P.U.C in science at R.L.S.I. in the city. Thereafter, it was a bold decision for him and his family to say no to either engineering or medical course. But, they did say no and Hrishikesh went to Delhi to join coaching classes to adequately prepare himself for the full-fledged pilot program in the USA.

To grow to be a pilot was his only reverie and this dream of his became a reality on July 11, 2009, as he got his FAA [Federal Aviation Administration, Government of USA] approved Commercial Pilot License (CPL). He was just 21 years then. But on returning to his home country, all his hopes of getting a job dashed even after getting Indian pilot license from the Director General of Civil Aviation and obtaining all other necessary ratings, thanks to the industry slipping into a long phase of recession. Yet, he didn’t loose hopes with his family firmly standing by his side. He joined as Operations Manager with Perfect Aviation to supervise ground handling of charter planes and helicopters in Belgaum, Hubballi, Mumbai and learned much about operations under the able guidance of Chandrakant Hugar, CMD of the company. He got the breakthrough when he joined Star Air of Sanjay Ghodawat group nearly two years ago and played a notable role under the dynamic leadership and guidance of the company’s chairman and CEO Capt. Simran Singh Tiwana. This was acknowledged by Captain Singh on the inaugural occasion of Belagavi- Bengaluru flight here Monday.

Hrishikesh, who has over 330 hours of flying, did Type Rating on EMB 135/145 in Johannesburg, South Africa with subsequent SIM checks in Delhi and Dubai. In fact, he has been on Bengaluru-Hubballi-Tirupati route ever since Star Air launched its commercial operations last month.

Hrishikesh, a native of Bidar is the son of Madhumati and Vijaykumar Patil. His father took premature retirement after serving THE HINDU for 23 years (Special Correspondent) in Mysuru and Belagavi. He studied at the Kendriya Vidyalaya No-II, Camp, Belagavi and then moved on to R.L.S. College for his science course. 

Hrishikesh is a unique blend of character and qualities. He is a Sangeet Visharad [B.Music(Tabla)] from Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahamandal Vidyalaya, Mumbai, and disciple of Musicologist late Pt. Hayavadan Joshi of Belagavi. He has performed at the State-level competitions, Bangalore; Kittur Utsav, Kittur; Pt.Savai Gandharva Utsav, Kundgol; Stage performances/Jugalbandi in Belagavi, Dharwad, Mysore & Miraj. He has also a Rajya Puraskar in Bharat Scouts. Dedication and perseverance, hard work and consistency are his forte.

His family is euphoric over his achievement. Hrishi, despite his preoccupations, occasionally takes out time to visit an orphanage and imparts free tabla/drums lessons, besides playing musical instruments like guitar and keyboard.

Hrishi was not available for comments. ‘Our son has made us proud’ his parents told this blog over the telephone from Chennai. His elder sister is blissful about his brother’s accomplishment and wished him all the best and look forward to flying in the plane he is piloting. So is his brother in law, who also is a Commercial Pilot with GoAir. 

So Hrishi, we asked: Do you have anything to say at this stage your take-off for your chosen and dream career?

Capt.Hrishikesh: Yes! It was possible because of the great support of my grandmothers Smt. Amrit V. Patil, Smt.Gangabai Deshmukh, and the noblest friends of my father and family’s true well-wishers Shri A. Laxminarasimaiah of Mysuru, my aunt Smt.Suvarna Patagundi, Dr.K.N. Dodmani, Mr.D.B. Patil and Mr.Anant Pappu of Belagavi.

Indeed a unique mix of persona, all the best Hrishikesh.