Kunal's high up there

Kunal's high up there

In Rang De Basanti he just ran after the airplanes, but now actor Kunal Kapoor is the one in the cockpit. And this time he's in charge of the controls. With time on his hand, Kunal decided to follow his dream. He's put 22 hours of flying behind him already and is hoping to be a certified pilot in the next three months. So fasten your seatbelt as Kunal takes you for a ride:

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Taking off

I've always had a deep-rooted fascination for flying. It's been the top priority on my 'bucket list'. I was one of those kids who had posters of planes on my wall and owned a couple of little plane models. I had some time off and felt it would be great to learn flying as a hobby. The earlier plan was to go to Texas for a couple of weeks, as I have a friend who is an instructor there. Then my cousin, who is a pilot, recommended an aviation academy in a place called Sagar, which is about four hours away from Bhopal. I couldn't think of a better place to learn.

Wright turn

Well, it's a sort of a never ending process. The more hours you put in, the bigger the planes you can fly. The first step for me though is to finish 55 hours, pass all the exams and get my license. Then I'll be free to pretty much fly anywhere in the world!

The high you get while flying is unmatched. It's a strange combination of being in a state of peace and extreme excitement. No honking, no traffic and no people randomly running across. God bless the Wright brothers.

Freedom!
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Once I decided to get into the plane while someone else was being trained; it's called back seating. It's a great way of learning, but I sort of chose the wrong student. When the instructor feels like you're making a mistake, he says 'my controls' and your supposed to let go. But this trainee froze during a landing and would not let go of his controls, till finally the instructor had to whack him, to bring him out of his stupor. If he had not let go for a little longer, we would have been in big trouble.

Does flying make me more macho? I don't know. But it definitely gives me a sense of freedom. There was a quote I once read, "I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." I am sure most people who fly will tell you the same thing.