Wings of Ambition: My Captain's Journey from Dream to Reality

“It wasn’t a sudden decision,” I began, my voice steady but reflective. “I had been thinking about my options for a while. Dropping out of college felt like the only way forward.”

Krishna, my cousin, sat across from me, eyes wide with curiosity. He was seven years younger and had never heard the full story. “So, what was the moment when you knew you wanted to be a pilot?” he asked, leaning in slightly.

“For months, I wrestled with it,” I said, my gaze drifting, recalling the inner battle. “When I finally made up my mind, the real challenge started—convincing my parents. There was a cold war brewing at home, and I was dead set on following this path.”

I paused, letting the weight of that time hang between us. “But my mom… she was my rock. She helped me stay strong, even when it felt like no one else believed in me. Knowing I had her in my corner made all the difference, especially when it came to steering my dad towards understanding.”

Krishna nodded, absorbing every word, realizing the gravity of what had happened. I could see the questions forming in his mind, but he let me continue.

“Eventually, Dad agreed to listen—really listen—to what I had to say. He told me to do my homework, to come up with a solid plan. It wasn’t a sudden moment of clarity that got me here,” I added, my voice softening. “It was a process. Perseverance, validation from within, and knowing deep down this was my calling.”

I looked at Krishna, hoping to convey something bigger than the words themselves. “That’s the thing. You don’t wake up one day knowing what you’re meant to do. It’s a whisper, a voice inside you, calling you. And when you finally hear it, that’s when you know.”

The First Flight

When I was younger, I used to think trucks were the biggest and most powerful machines in the world. I would watch them rumble down the highway, imagining myself behind the wheel, driving across endless roads. My aunt often reminds me how I once proudly declared that when I grew up, I was going to be a truck driver. In my mind, that was the pinnacle of freedom—being in control of something so massive, moving from place to place.

But that day at the aerodrome, when our uncle's friend offered to take us up in his single-propeller plane, everything changed. The plane didn't just seem big; it felt limitless. As I stood by the runway, watching the aircraft glint under the afternoon sun, I realized there was something far bigger than trucks—something that could soar through the skies.

When we finally took off, and the ground disappeared beneath us, the sky stretching out endlessly, I knew this was it. This was the kind of freedom I wanted. In that moment, my dream shifted from the highways to the clouds. I wasn't just going to drive—I was going to fly.

The First Setbacks

Before the cold war at home even began, I faced a few battles that I had to fight on my own.

I still remember the thrill of preparing for the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam. It felt like the first real step toward making my dream of flying a reality. But when I failed the first time, it hit me hard. I wasn't accustomed to failure, and the weight of that disappointment was overwhelming.

Yet, I refused to give up. I approached my second attempt with renewed determination. When I received the Service Selected Board (SSB) call after that try, it felt like a glimmer of hope—I was so close.

I had never undergone any formal coaching for the SSB or knew what to expect. I went in without a clue, yet I managed to navigate through the major rounds. Then came the group discussion. I was passionately defending my views, fully engaged in the debate. But then, another candidate chimed in with, "You guys have been arguing for quite some time; let other people talk." Ironically, he was the one selected.

The board never explained the reasons for my rejection, but over time, I came to recognize that they weren’t just looking for a candidate with strong opinions—they were searching for the qualities of a leader.

Enter U.S. Aviation

I didn't really have proper guidance in terms of careers, because the people I knew or my parents weren't in the same field. I had to muddle through the uncertainty due to lack of information. I realized that I could apply for NDA again, but my limited information about it didn't allow me to. I only knew that one could write NDA only until 19, and then Combined Defence Service (CDS).

I wanted to fly fighter jets and travel at Mach speeds. I wanted to soar higher in the skies and find my freedom, but destiny had different plans for me. My parents had chosen a course in aeronautical engineering in Bengaluru, and I went there since I had no other option.

That's when I saw a flyer for a roadshow that U.S. aviation was doing in collaboration with my university, and I saw my window again. I told my parents that I wanted to go there, go to the USA, and pursue my dream of flying again. My parents thought I was only saying this under the influence of roadshows, and I wasn't serious. I felt my window to flying was closing and the only way was to jump out.

Evidently, one day I dropped out of college and moved back home. It was my father's birthday, and he was a well-recognized doctor in the community. There was an event arranged for him on that day. I told them to go ahead and I would talk to them later that night. And that's when the cold war started at home.

The Cold War

My dad was furious to learn that I had dropped out of college. It was a big deal in India to drop out of college just for a pipe dream to fly bigger machines. But that was not the case for me; it wasn't a pipe dream, it was a very well-laid concrete foundation when I was barely 10 years old. The roadshow showed me a path, and I knew that I should take it.

My mother eventually started believing in me and figured that I wasn't influenced; I was really determined to pursue this career. She had become the rock that I could again depend on. She noticed I was struggling to defend my views with my father and gave me pointers on how I could convince him.

I started pulling in all the information from various people I knew. I started verbal communication with the ambassadors for U.S. aviation and gathered more materials on the course and its opportunities post-graduation.

Finally, my father started to listen — really listen. He also believed that I was determined to do this, that I wasn't influenced. I'm strong and stood up for my career, which made him proud. He believed that I wasn't a kid finding himself in a candy store, that I was a man ready to take on the world with my opinions and decisions. He finally believed that I was ready to take responsibility for my life, and he was never more proud.

Finding Clarity

I'm now a pilot for a commercial airliner and I've never been happier. I love what I do and I'm grateful for what I have. It is never too late to change your path once you find your calling. It's not cliché to say something like this because I'm living it.

I've been asked too many times about how to find something that I love, and I always say this:

"Don't search for your passion, let it call you. And you'll never waste a moment of your life."

I've been humbled by very many things, and I've also been very lucky to have found my calling. It is not common, but you should always keep your heart open to listen to your soul. You don't know when it calls, but when you're open with your heart, you're sure not to miss the call.

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