Dalip Singh Majithia

Dalip Singh Majithia (27 July 1930 - 15 April 2024) was an Indian Air Force pilot. He primarily served during the second world war. At the time of his death on 15 April 2024, he was the oldest living pilot of the Indian Air Force at the age of 103.

Early life

He was born on 27 July 1930 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. His father Kirpal Singh Majithia was an important person during the British rule in Punjab. His grandfather Sundar Singh Majithia was associated with Chief Khalsa Divan and was one of the founders of Khalsa College, Amritsar. Dalip Singh studied at Khalsa college and later at Lahore, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree.

Career

He learned the basics of flying at the Karachi Flying Club on a Gypsy Moth aircraft. In 1940, he joined the IAF volunteer reserve in 1940 during the Second World War. On 1 August 1940, he joined the 4th Pilot's Course at the Initial Training School (ITA) in Walton, Lahore, where after three months, he won the best pilot trophy. To continue his advanced training, he was posted to the No.1 Flying Training School in Ambala.

In March 1943, he joined the Number 6 Squadron under the command of 'Baba' Mehr Singh in the rank of flying officer. In January 1944, he was posted in Kohat as the Flight Commander of Number 3 Squadron and flew Hurricane aircraft. Later, he was posted in Burma (Myanmar) as the Flight Commander of No. 4 Squadron. A long bout of illness kept him out of active flying for sometime. After that, he served at the Air Headquarters. Later he served as the IAF's Liaison Officer to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Melbourne, Australia.

On 18 March 1947, he retired from the Indian Air Force. After that, he flew as a private pilot. In 1949, he made history by being the first to land a plane in the Kathmandu valley. He conducted the landing of an aircraft in Kathmandu, Nepal on an unprepared piece of land. That site is now the site of the Nepal's international airport. Through his career, he had more than 1,100 flying hours to his name, including on aircrafts like Hurricanes and Spitfires. By his fellow pilots, he was affectionately called 'Maji'. He flew for the last time in January 1979.

Later life

After retirement from Air Force, he settled at his family's estate in Sardarnagar, near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. He also ran a successful business venture. In March 2021, 100 year old Dalip Singh and his 99 year old wife Joan Sanders Majithia received their first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine at Sunrise Hospital in Gurugram, along with their 72-year-old daughter Kiran Sandhu and three other family friends in their 70s.

Personal life

On 18 February 1947 Dalip Singh married Joan Sanders at his family's estate in Gorakhpur, whom he had met during his service in Melbourne, Australia. She was in Women's Royal Australian Navy Service as code breaker during the war, working in the Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne. The couple had two daughters, named Kiran and Mira.