India's Oldest Air Force Pilot, The Legendary Dalip Singh Majithia, Passes Away At 103

Squadron Leader Dalip Singh Majithia, the oldest living pilot of the Indian Air Force (IAF), passed away at the age of 103 on Monday night at his farm in Uttarakhand, reported Indian Express.

His daughter, Kiran, confirmed that the cremation is scheduled for Tuesday noon at his farm in Rudrapur. A bhog ceremony will be held in New Delhi at a later date, she added.

Born on 27 July 1920, in Shimla, Majithia joined the IAF volunteer reserve in 1940 during World War II, inspired by his uncle Surjeet Singh Majithia, the grandfather of Akali politician Bikramjit Singh Majithia.

Majithia began his flying career at Karachi Flying Club, learning on a Gypsy Moth aircraft. Historian Anchit Gupta notes that in August 1940, Majithia joined the 4th Pilot’s Course at the Initial Training School in Walton, Lahore.

He excelled and was awarded the best pilot trophy three months later, subsequently moving to the No. 1 Flying Training School in Ambala for advanced training.

In June 1941, he was assigned to the No. 1 Coastal Defence Flight in Madras, flying various aircraft such as the Wapiti, Hart, Audax, and Atlanta.

Here, he conducted critical coastal security missions, including patrols and naval reconnaissance. Majithia later underwent conversion training at 151 Operational Training Unit in Risalpur on Harvard and Hurricane aircraft, preparing for active war front deployment.

By March 1943, he was flying with No. 6 Squadron under the command of ‘Baba’ Mehar Singh and was later appointed flight commander of No. 3 Squadron in January 1944, where he flew extensively in Kohat. Among his squadron mates was Air Marshal Asghar Khan, a future Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force, and Air Marshal Randhir Singh, who was later awarded the Vir Chakra in 1948.

Following a long illness, Majithia served in Air HQs and then as the IAF’s liaison officer to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Melbourne, Australia. After retiring from the IAF on 18 March 1947, Majithia settled at his family’s estate near Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.

In 1949, he notably conducted the first aircraft landing in Kathmandu, Nepal, on a site that is now the country’s international airport.

Joan Sanders Majithia, his wife, passed away in 2021 at the age of 100. The couple is survived by their two daughters, Kiran and Mira.