JRD Tata was the first Indian to receive a commercial pilot's license on February 10 in 1929 setting the stage that eventually led to the creation of Air India. The interesting connection was revealed in a tweet and Instagram post by the Tata Companies taking us back to 1929.
The post recalls JRD ‘Jeh’ Tata’s love for flying that he nurtured since he was 15 that led him to start Tata Air Service, which later became Air India.
"On February 10, 1929, JRD 'Jeh' Tata earned the first commercial aviator's certificate in India, fulfilling a dream that he had nurtured since he was 15 and setting the stage for the much bigger dream of giving wings to the nation," Tata Companies wrote in a post.
At 24, JRD Tata set up a flying club in Mumbai. Tata Air Service was then set up by him which later became Air India. He also was the pilot of its inaugural flight in October 1932. JRD Tata flew from Karachi to Mumbai (then Bombay) in a Puss Moth (a British three-seater high-wing monoplane aeroplane) with just a pair of goggles, his aviator’s license and a slide rule. Back then, JRD Tata flew at a “100 miles an hour” – considered very high speed in 1932.
On February 10, 1929, JRD ‘Jeh’ Tata earned the first commercial aviator's certificate in India, fulfilling a dream that he had nurtured since he was 15 and setting the stage for the much bigger dream of giving wings to the nation. pic.twitter.com/QIZL0fWYjQ— Tata Group (@TataCompanies) February 10, 2022
“All he was armed with was a pair of goggles, his trusted slide rule that he always carried on flights, “a silent prayer”, and his little blue and gold aviator’s certificate that bore the Number 1,” the post reads.
The company shared a throwback picture from the first flight and also a photograph of JRD Tata’s blue and gold aviator’s certificate which had Number 1 on it (as he was the first to get the license).
The Tata Group frequently shares interesting stories of the company’s founders on social media.
After 69 years, the Tata Group acquired Air India back from the government with a winning bid of Rs 18,000 crore. The takeover of the airline was completed on January 27.
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