- Captain Smit Machchhar's interest in aviation began during management studies, not childhood
- He initially pursued textile engineering linked to his family's business before switching careers
- Machchhar trained as a pilot in New Zealand and overcame early nerves in flying
Captain Smit Machchhar's journey to becoming a commercial pilot did not begin with a childhood dream of flying. His interest in aviation came much later, when he was already studying and thinking about joining his family's textile business.
After school, Machchhar joined a textile engineering course because it was connected to his family business. After completing the course, he decided to study management to learn more about running the family business.
It was during his management studies that he attended an aviation seminar. The seminar introduced him to the aviation industry and made him consider flying as a career.
In a podcast interview, Machchhar recalled that aviation "was not a childhood dream" for him and that it came much later in his life. He was around 19 years old when he became interested in becoming a pilot.
From Engineering To The Cockpit
Machchhar eventually decided to pursue pilot training and travelled to New Zealand for his training. He has spoken about being nervous during his early flying experiences, particularly when he first had the responsibility of flying an airline aircraft during training.
He later joined SpiceJet, where he spent around 11 years. He worked as a Senior Commander and later became a Line Training Captain, a role that involved training and assessing other pilots.
Machchhar joined Flydubai as a Direct Entry Captain in June 2022. His LinkedIn profile lists more than 9,750 flying hours on Boeing 737 aircraft. It also shows his education at the Welingkar Institute of Management between 2007 and 2008.
His career journey shows that students do not always have to follow the career path they first choose. In Machchhar's case, an aviation seminar introduced him to a field he had not originally planned to enter-and eventually led him to a career in commercial aviation.