Who Is Sakshi Kochhar? India's Youngest Commercial Pilot

Women have expanded their reach to male-dominated fields of work as well in the last few years and are leading by example in the army and air force. A commendable feat of an 18-year-old girl has become the talk of the town as she becomes India’s youngest pilot.

We have heard about many young prodigies who have showcased their exceptional talent in fields like academics and sports. There have been many children who have earned a degree at a young age or are really good at sports or have invented or researched complex topics. However, you might not have seen many young children in aviation, especially because flying aircrafts requires a lot of precision, focus and knowledge as even a little mistake could be life threatening. However, an 18-year-old girl from Himachal Pradesh defied the age and gender norms to become India’s youngest commercial pilot.

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Who Is Sakshi Kochhar?

Sakshi Kochhar is from Himachal Pradesh’s Parwanoo and was born on May 30, 2005. She recently got her commercial pilot’s license making her the youngest commercial pilot in India. Kochhar was very young when she was fascinated by aircrafts and the aviation industry. After class 10th, she decided to prepare to become a pilot and took Maths and Physics as her Class 12th subjects in Chandigarh’s Government Model Senior Secondary School.

She joined Mumbai’s Skyline Aviation Club after completing her 12th to train to become a commercial pilot. She trained under captain Dr. AD Manek who was also the mentor of Maitri Patel, India’s former youngest commercial pilot who got her license at the age of 19 years. Kochhar spent four months in ground theory training in India and was then sent to the USA for advanced flight training. Her first flight was with her instructor and her father during training. On her 18th birthday, May 30, 2023, Kochhar finally received her commercial pilot license, making her the youngest Indian to have one.

Training in the US is really expensive but Kochhar’s parents always supported her dream of becoming a pilot. She reportedly said in an interview that she was grateful for the love and support she received from her family because of which she was able to achieve her dream.