Youngest Indian With A Commercial Pilot License, Sakshi Kochhar Wants To Pay Back Her Parents

On her 18th birthday, Sakshi Kochhar received her commercial pilot license - making her the youngest Indian to have a commercial pilot license. Kochhar, who dreamed of becoming a pilot since she was 10, started training for her Commercial Pilot License (CPL) right after Grade 12. 

But it wasn’t an easy flight. The journey to becoming a commercial pilot took her far away from her parents, taught her to stay alone for the first time in her life, and required intense training. 

Nevertheless, the young girl persisted. Today, she’s officially a pilot. And her new dream? To get a job and return the money her parents invested in her. 

“Aviation is a very costly business and I spent around INR 70 lakh to get CPL. Once I get a job I will return the money to my parents,” shared Kochhar with ANI. 

ANI

A Small-Town Girl

Kochhar hails from Parwanoo, a small town in Himachal Pradesh. She belongs to a family of businessmen involved in trading apparel and footwear. But she always dreamed of the sky. 

Kochhar, who wanted to become a pilot since she was 10, chose the subjects Science with Maths and Physics in Grade 12 to be a step closer to her dream. After completing high school at the Government Model Senior Secondary School in Chandigarh, Kochhar joined the Skyline Aviation Club in Mumbai for her Commercial Pilot License (CPL) training.

After a four-month-long training where she studied the initial theory for CPL, the aviation club prepared for her departure to their designated training center in the USA. This is where she would undergo advanced flight training. 

Flying 8,500 Miles For Her Dream

Kochhar, who has an elder brother, had never stayed alone. And suddenly, she had to travel 8,500 miles away from her parents. Only 17, the young girl left for the US to complete her pilot training. 

After nearly eight months, Kochhar completed her training and applied for a license. Coincidentally, she received her commercial pilot license on the same day as her eighteenth birthday, making her the youngest Indian pilot to have a CPL. 

A CPL course usually lasts 8-10 months and includes 200 hours of flying training, along with 80 hours of academic sessions. The course is divided into three stages: ground training, simulator training, and flying training. 

Kochhar credits her parents and family for her success. As per media publications, Kochhar believes she’s “lucky” to have been brought up in a loving family that pushed her to achieve her dreams. 

The Indian Girls Who Soared High

Interestingly, before Kochhar, the title of the youngest Indian to hold a CPL was held by another young lady - 19-year-old Maitri Patel. 

Patel, who originally hails from Surat, also dreamed of becoming a pilot since she was a kid. She was only 8 when she first saw an airplane and was struck by the idea of flying it. Patel’s father is a farmer and sold a part of his ancestral land to fund her flight training course. Her mother is a government health worker. 

Both Kochchar and Patel trained under the same pilot instructor, Dr AD Manek at the Skyline Aviation Club. 

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