Minister shares secrets on ’piloting skills’ with small industrialist

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Aug 17, 2016: During an interaction with the members of KSIA, Kanara Small Industries Association and local captains of small and medium enterprises on Aug 15, Monday at Mangaluru, Rudy explained how being a pilot has four skills intertwined in it. "First, one needs to have a commercial pilot’s licence, a basic skill.

Then one needs to have knowledge of meteorology, navigation and air traffic communication," he said, adding each of these are independent life sustaining skills.

Interestingly, while most in the audience knew he was a pilot, not many knew the airline that he worked for. Rudy, a senior first officer, while doing flying duties said he flies the Airbus A 320 and is passionate about it. Having logged in more than 1,600 hours of flying, Rudy said he loves to find an opportunity to be in the cockpit of an aircraft rather than as a passenger in it. "I have my uniform and the (shoulder) stripes that go with a pilot’s attire," he said.

Later, during an informal chat with media Rudy said, "I need to fly at regular intervals to keep my commercial pilot licence open,  it is a mandatory requirement." Asked in a lighter vein if this does not amount to holding an office of profit, Rudy pointed that in fact he pays Indigo Airlines to fly for them.  "The airlines is kind enough to roster me according to my convenience," he said, adding that it is not often that a politician gets the opportunity to fly to work rather than being flown around.

 Rajiv Pratap Rudy, minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship, holds a place in the Limca Book of Records for being the only parliamentarian to fly a commercial aircraft, flying the Airbus-320 with Indigo Airlines. And his training as a pilot comes in handy for him to sell the concept of skills, a ministry that he now heads.