Dalip Singh Majithia retired as a squadron leader in the Indian Air Force in August 1947.
New Delhi:
On August 5, 1940, a young Sikh pilot took off for his first training flight on a Tiger Moth aircraft from Walton Airfield in Lahore with his two British instructors.
17 days later, Dalip Singh Majithia, then just 20, made his first solo flight, a flight that paved the way for a lifetime in aviation – first in the Air Force , then as a private pilot.
Along the way, Dalip Singh Majithia had his fair share of adventures as a fighter pilot flying the legendary Hawker Hurricane on the Burmese front during WWII to become the first person to land a plane in the Valley of Kathmandu several decades later.
Tomorrow, Dalip Singh Majithia, who retired as a squadron leader in the Indian Air Force in August 1947, the year of our independence, turns 100.
He is India’s oldest living fighter pilot.
“I always feel like I’m in it, when I meet [Indian Air Force] officers, “said Squadron Leader Majithia.” My group of people is no longer there, we used to have our meetings on August 1st of each year for a while.
On April 23, 1949, Dalip Singh Majithia landed in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was the first landing of a plane in the Kathmandu valley.
The story of Dalip Singh Majithia has been described as “a story of faith, courage and adventure” by Pushpinder Singh Chopra, India’s foremost aerospace historian. By the time he graduated as a pilot he was good enough to be considered the best pilot in his course.
Dalip Singh Majithia continued to fly several aircraft with the Indian Air Force during the pre-independence period, including the Westland Wapiti IIA, Hawker Audax and Hart which equipped No 1 Squadron, the only IAF squadron to the time.
After first being assigned to coastal defense flights where he conducted maritime patrols over the Bay of Bengal, he was reassigned to No. 6 Squadron, Indian Air Force, which was shortlisted for operate one of the most advanced aircraft in the world at the time, the legendary Hawker Hurricane.
“It was a beautiful plane. The Hurricane is very well known because it won the Battle of Britain and we had a lot of respect for it because it had a great engine,” said Dalip Singh Majithia. “I loved this plane. It was very hard. They said, ‘You can hit a tree’ and still come back. ‘
The Hurricane was the first fighter jet to exceed 300 mph in level flight and was extremely versatile. More than 300 variants of the hurricane were supplied to the IAF between 1942 and 1944. The hunter became the backbone of operations in the countryside of Assam and Burma.
Dalip Singh Majithia retired as a squadron leader in the Indian Air Force in August 1947, the year of our independence.
Dalip Singh Majithia continued to serve in eastern India and flew over the Burmese front under the command of the legendary Baba Meher Singh, who was honored with a Distinguished Order of Service during World War II and earned a Maha Vir Chakra for his role in the 1947-48 war with Pakistan.
“Each mission [on the Burma front] was very difficult but we just had to find the Japanese but their use of camouflage was very good. “The flying missions over some of the densest jungles on Earth were an incredible challenge for the squadron.” The jungle was very thick and we had to locate where they were. The Japanese army was advancing towards India and we had to detect them. “
The Hurricanes of 6 Squadron were tasked with taking vertical and oblique photos. They were flying in two air formations. At each exit, “the” leader “took pictures and did the reconnaissance work and his No. 2, the” weaver “, protected the leader’s tail” from enemy interceptors and shots on the ground.
With the Japanese surrender and the end of World War II, Dalip Singh Majithia was selected to be part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces and moved to BCOF Headquarters in Melbourne, where he met Joan Sanders (whose the father was with the British. Army). On February 18, 1947, Dalip Singh Majithia married Joan at his family home in Gorakhpur where the family owned considerable land and business interests.
He was persuaded to leave the Indian Air Force, but clearly his love for flying never waned.
“Right before the end of the war the Americans sold all of their planes to India and my uncle bought these two L5 light planes.” But making these planes worthy to fly was no easy task. “We didn’t have a mechanic,” says Dalip Singh Majithia. “I had an auto mechanic running the garage. He and my uncle were in charge and he used to come and check the plane’s magnetos.” Miraculously, the plane was successfully repaired. “I’ve flown these two planes all over the place and luckily I had a pilot’s license earlier so I had no problems.”
On February 18, 1947, Dalip Singh Majithia married Joan Sanders at his family home in Gorakhpur where the family owned considerable land and business interests.
The family then acquired two Beechcraft Bonanza planes. These were four-seater planes, one of which marked aviation history with Dalip Singh Majithia at the controls.
On April 23, 1949, Dalip Singh Majithia landed in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was the first landing of a plane in the Kathmandu Valley and followed a request from the Prime Minister, Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana. In a letter to the Indian Ambassador, the Prime Minister of Nepal asked: “I wondered if it would be possible to use small transport planes to transport the paddy to the Kathmandu valley after the rains, knowing that the Dakota needed a landing field that would be difficult to prepare. “
“My uncle (Surjit Singh Majithia) was the ambassador and he was very keen on me meeting the prime minister.” The conversation shifted to flights to Nepal with clearance granted quickly.
“I looked well before [landing] and I had no help on the ground, “says Dalip Singh Majithia, describing his first approach to Kathmandu.” My uncle put a windsock on me. That’s all I had. “Dalip Singh Majithia made two attempts to land.” The first was not very good because it was late April with a lot of clouds. But the second time around I went around Kathmandu and I did. “It was an unprepared trail.” Fortunately, there was no one on the ground. My uncle came to get me. “Today, the area where Dalip Singh Majithia made his first landing is the site of the current Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.
Dalip Singh Majithia’s passion for aviation continued for several decades. He made his last recorded flight on January 16, 1979, again in a Beechcraft Bonanza. Over time, the family came to acquire several devices. Some of them are still active in air charter missions with Saraya Air Charters, others are now retired.
Asked what it’s like to mark a century in life, the squadron leader said, “Well, God is great and I am so grateful for every help I have received from my family.
Fitness has been a key part of Dalip Singh Majithia’s life, golf is an enduring passion. “I am very thankful to God for allowing me to play a lot of golf. I have made a hole-in-one on several occasions, and my last hole-in-one was last year at the Nainital golf course.
