As every other child, Maitri Patel had a dream. She was always fascinated by aeroplanes. She first saw an aeroplane when she was eight years old and has aspired to become a pilot ever since. At the age of 19, she achieved the record by being India’s youngest commercial pilot.
Hailing from Surat, Gujarat, Maitri had her share of challenges. But, she never gave up.
From Farmer’s Daughter To Becoming The Youngest Pilot
Also, read: After Becoming Pilot, This Man From Punjab Gifted Elderly Folks Of His Village Their First Air Trip
After finishing class 11 from Metas Adventist School, Maitri moved to the United States to finish her pilot training. Maitri’s father, Kantilal Patel, is a farmer in the Olpad region, while her mother works for the Surat Municipal Corporation’s health department.
Her father used to transport passengers from Surat to Mumbai International Airport. After seeing numerous aircraft take off and land, he wished his daughter could fly the plane one day and travel the world.
CM Shri @vijayrupanibjp today met 19-year-old Maitri Patel, a farmer's daughter from Olpad, Surat, and congratulated her on becoming the youngest female commercial pilot after receiving vocational training in the US and also wished this pride of Gujarat a sky-touching career. pic.twitter.com/R4qHdbOQkb
— CMO Gujarat (@CMOGuj) September 7, 2021
Kantilal’s dream of watching his daughter become a pilot came with hardship. Amidst his financial difficulties, he enrolled Maitri in an English medium school and gave away a portion of his family land to cover the costs of the flight training program.
Impossible To Making It Possible
Commercial flight training lasts around 18 months on average. Only a few people can finish the program in 18 months, but Maitri was able to obtain a commercial pilot’s license after only 11 months. Maitri now aspires to advance her career by becoming a captain and flying a Boeing plane, for which she will begin training shortly, according to an interview of Maitri by India Today.
She is now a youth icon who is inspiring several girls to become a pilot. She believes in hard work and, now she can fly as she dreamt.