Captain Smit Machchhar’s former instructor praises his courage after Flydubai cockpit attack

The budding pilot I taught is a global hero who saved hundreds of lives mdash how can I not be proud of that This is the pride every teacher hopes to feel one day when they see their student not only excel but become someone who the world looks up tordquo said Sanjay Mandviya a former commercial pilot who taught Captain Smit Machchhar how to fly a plane in 2005On September 30 Capt Machchhar saved the lives of 172 passengers four cabin crew and two deadheading pilots while being seriously injured on Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv Israel after his copilot attacked him with the crash axe kept in the cockpitMandviya who consulted with Fly Wings Aviation a flight training institute in the late 2000s was one of the instructors who taught Capt Machchhar before he went to New Zealand for further training Though living in Gurugram Haryana Mandviya who was in Mumbai for a few days spoke to midday about his brave former studentBack in the dayldquoSmit came to us as a young boy with ambition and passion to fly back in 2005 He visited our training centre in Juhu with his family to take a look at the facility and joined soonrdquo Mandviya recountedCaptain Smit Machchhar who saved the lives of 172 passengers four cabin crew and two deadheading pilots after being attacked by his copilot on Flydubai flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv PicXIsraelMFAAccording to Mandviya Machchhar was passionate about a career in flying from the very start ldquoHe was focused fascinated and serious about flying everyone could see that He finished our course in about a year which is difficult to do and then went to New Zealand When he returned in 200910 we trained him on Boeing planes After that he went on to become a pilot at SpiceJet and soon became a captain which is a great featrdquoMandviya added ldquoHe was a pilot who respected his trainers immensely He was always polite He would touch my feet sometimes which while he didnrsquot need to do so showed that he bore respect for teachers When such a student accomplishes things every teacher in the world would know how much our hearts fill up with priderdquoThe incidentMandviya said he was at home when I got to know about the infamous Flydubai flight ldquoA colleague of Smitrsquos called me and told me that a flight Smit was on was embroiled in an incident and asked me to turn on the TV It was a very shocking moment but the second we understood that he was alive and was not in danger the fear turned into pride that canrsquot be explainedrdquoHe added ldquoSmitrsquos uncle called me and asked if I had heard and both of us were on the call sharing our pride that a kid we saw grow into a man is now a global hero Though I havenrsquot been able to talk to him yet whenever I do it will be a very happy conversationrdquoPassengersrsquo braveryldquoIn the middle of the struggle Smit had the presence of mind to open the cabin door which let the passengers in to separate the two pilots and take control of the situation If the passengers panicked at that time things wouldrsquove been very differentrdquo Mandviya said appreciating those who helped Smit when the aircraft was nosedivingTalking about the two deadheading pilots on board he said ldquoThey controlled the situation beautifully and took over the flying With the radar broken they landed safely not hurting anyone else on the plane This is very hard to pull off since we depend on the radar while landingrdquoMandviya believes that the control and speed with which the captain and the two pilots acted showed how well they were trained in their budding years ldquoNo one is trained for such situations these happen out of the blue But acting in the right moment matters and this comes along with good training when the pilots are still in the early stages of learningrdquoFuture implicationsldquoI believe that this incident and Smitrsquos bravery will be taught as a case study in Cockpit Resource Management classes in flight training schools This will surely help many budding pilots know how to react in such situations even if they never happen againrdquo Mandviya saidHe also believes that in the coming years many changes will occur in the manner in which pilotsrsquo mental health is treated in the industry ldquoEvery airline has mental health evaluations but after this they will make sure that they properly clear pilots before sending them off to fly a plane full of passengersrdquo2005Year Smit Machchhar started undergoing flight trainingSeptember 30Day Capt Smit Machchhar was attackedToast of the postThe cover of Capt Courageous PicBy Special ArrangementIndia Post has also joined the global buzz created by Smit Machchhars valour and has recognised and acknowledged it On Friday October 9 on World Post Day India Post released a commemorative special cover with a cancellation honouring the hero pilot Presently these covers are available only at the Thiruvananthapuram Philately Bureau but we learn they will soon be available at other places More cheers to the poster pun intended boy of IndoIsraeli friendship