The Aviator

He has had a fascination for flying since the age of five and now he's attempting yet another world record. Dr Vijaypat Singhania, chairman emeritus, Raymond Group talks to Achal Dhruva about his passion

Since I had nothing to do, I decided to embark upon this mission," jokes Dr Vijaypat Singhania, chairman emeritus, Raymond Group. The mission, a world record breaking attempt to scale 70,000 feet in a hot air balloon. Dr Singhania will attempt this feat billed as MI70K (read as Mission Impossible) taking off from Azad Maidan in Mumbai sometime in November this year. "I love taking risks and challenges. I need to do something for my country before I go into oblivion due to old age," proffers

Dr Singhania, answering the unasked yet big why?

At 67, the avid aviator and intrepid adventurer is not a new hand at breaking records. With over 5,000 hours of flying over four decades in aircraft ranging from microlights to Boeing 737s, Dr Singhania holds the record for solo flight in a microlight, flying 5,429 miles from London to Ahmedabad in 22 days in 1988. He flew in a CFM Shadow powered by a two stroke Rotax engine beating the 34-day record set the previous year by English journalist and adventurer, Brian Milton. In 1994, Dr Singhania, won his class division in a flying race around the world. He completed the 34,000 kilometres journey, after a 24-day odyssey in his turboprop Cessna Conquest, 32 minutes ahead of his nearest rival, winning a FAI (Federation Aeronautique Internationale) gold medal, the only such medal won by an Indian aviator.

His take for undertaking this rather dangerous mission is, "I got that fire in my gut to prove that something thought as impossible can be done. My effort is to put India on the world aviation map." He had earlier thought of circumnavigating the globe in a hot air balloon but after the feat was attempted successfully by someone else he shifted his focus to break the existing record set for high altitude in a hot air balloon by Per Linstrand (64,997 feet) 17 years ago. Dr Singhania, assisted technically by Andy Elson and Colin Prescot of Flying Pictures Ltd, England, will take flight in a specially designed pressurised capsule attached to a balloon spanning 1.6 million cubic feet, with a height slightly lower than 30 storeys and weighing 80 tonnes when fully inflated.

Apart from meteorite showers, solar flares, the major concern for Dr Singhania will be the pressure in the capsule. If there is a leak, he is liable to burst, literally, as the atmospheric pressure at 70,000 feet is a mere 40 millibar - about four per cent of sea level pressure, which is 1013.2 millibars. "People have questioned me why I was doing such a stupid thing and that I didn't value my life. There are risks in any adventure activity in varying degrees. If there are no such risks why would there be one out a few million attempting it and one in a billion to achieve it," Dr Singhania counters questions of the risk factor.

He goes on to narrate a comment from the father of Indian civil aviation, JRD Tata before he embarked upon his world record breaking flight in a microlight in 1988. "When I explained my plans to him, JRD paused for two minutes and then exclaimed, 'These people think I am the only crazy guy around'." His zest for adventure has earned Dr Singhania many laurels including the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak Award for his outstanding achievements in aviation. He was conferred the rank of honorary air commodore of Indian Air Force (IAF), by the then Indian president R Venkataraman. The 6 Air Squadron of the IAF comprising of Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft at Gwalior also honoured him by including him as the first and only civilian member of the squadron of the Battle Axes.

The soft spoken and otherwise reticent Dr Singhania is most comfortable while speaking about flying. "Flying is in my blood and I have had this passion since I was five years old. As a kid I used to spend hours at the airport watching aircraft land and take off. And through the years ever since I took my first flight on October 15, 1959 I have found it a very satisfying, invigorating and uplifting hobby," states Dr Singhania. Press him to quote some of his memorable experiences he just shrugs his shoulders and says, "I could talk for hours." But on persisting, he reveals, "If you print this the DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation) will put me behind bars. In the early '70s I once took my Dakota under a bridge on the river Ganges. I had just over two inches of clearance on my wings. It was something I did on impulse for the sheer thrill." He adds with a chuckle, "Please write that I said the DGCA will kill me."

Among the different kinds of aircraft he has flown Dr Singhania's personal favourite is the Boeing 737. "It's a pilot's machine and flying as an honorary captain for private airlines was a different experience," he says. He has flown several 100 hours on Boeing 737s with East West Airlines, Damania Airways and Sahara Airways. After retiring from the hectic and high pressure corporate life, Dr Singhania has cut down on his travel but admits that he still travels about four or five times in a month mainly shuttling between his house in Mumbai and London. The latter is certainly his favourite foreign city. However, he is reluctant to name his favourite airline. "Jet Airways is probably the best among the domestic airlines and I wouldn't want to name any international airlines," he says. When quizzed what according to him are things which classifies an airline as good, he quips, "I would be very happy if number one it's a safe airline, it's efficient, punctual, has good onboard service and one does not have to stand in a queue to get a seat. But then everyone has different perceptions of what they want from an airline."

His thinking about a holiday is also quite unusual as he says, "For me location is unimportant, a holiday is a state of mind. I am very happy with a holiday in Mumbai. Who says location makes a holiday?"

Apart from aviation Dr Singhania is a man of myriad interests and has donned a number of hats. Belonging to the fourth generation of a prominent industrialist family, Dr Singhania has been a management professor (teaching post-graduate students at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies) and also served a term on the board of governors of Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad. He has also been active in the sport of horse racing for three decades, serving as a member of the Royal Western India Turf Club, Mumbai for several years before retiring as its chairman in 1996/97 and is a keen photographer. Dr Singhania is also a philanthropist and has initiated numerous projects like the animal husbandry programme and cattle-breeding programme. One can't help wondering how did he manage to juggle so many interests and break world records to boot along with his high profile job. His retort is simple, "Don't want to use a cliché but if you want to do something you just do it. If you don't want to do it you will find many reasons for it. Like they say where there is a will there is a way."