THE POLYMATH PILOT – A EULOGY TO CAPT DEEPAK VASANT SATHE
THE POLYMATH PILOT
A EULOGY TO AN EXCEPTIONAL AIRMAN - CAPT DEEPAK VASANT SATHE
By Capt Vikas Nautiyal
Capt Deepak Vasant Sathe, Captain of the Air India Express Flight No. IX-1344 which crashed in Calicut on 07Aug20 was an extraordinary human being and a very experienced pilot. A military aviator before becoming a commercial pilot, he and was from the 127 Pilot Course of the Indian Air Force where he passed out top of his batch, winning the coveted Navanagar ‘Sword of Honour’ for standing first in the order of merit.
He belonged to 58 National Defense Academy course and passed out as Battalion Cadet Captain and a Gold Torch awardee, Academy Golf, and Squash Captain and was awarded the President’s Bronze medal. He was always excellent in academics.
He flew Mig-21s with 17 Sqn ‘Golden Arrows’ before becoming a Qualified Flying Instructor and Experimental Test pilot in the Indian Air Force. He was a graduate of the Defense Services Staff College, Wellington.
As a test pilot, he was instrumental in giving shape to the first-ever Indian Air Force Airborne Surveillance Platform AWACS (Airborne Early Warning and Control System) and the first Indian pilot to test fly it.
After joining Air India, he flew Airbus 310 and later joined Air India Express, flying the Boeing 737, on which he was a Line Training Captain.
He was an extraordinarily sharp brain with a photographic memory and an analytical attitude towards aviation. He was always extremely meticulous and displayed dogged determination in achieving his goals.
He is survived by his wife and two sons. Both his sons are IIT graduates and well settled. Mrs Sathe stays in Mumbai.
His father, Brigadier Vasant (now 87), retired from the Army Education Corps (AEC). Capt Sathe’s brother, Second Lieutenant Vikas Sathe laid down his life while on active service in Punjab in 1981.
Capt Deepak Sathe lost his life, along with his co-pilot First Officer Akhilesh Kumar, while captaining Boeing-737 (VT-AXH) of Air India Express in an extremely unfortunate and tragic accident on 07Aug20 on Flight No. IX-1344 DXB-CCJ, while landing in Calicut (Kozhikode) in inclement weather. 16 passengers also perished in the accident.
RIP Deepak Vasant Sathe, friend, and inspiration, multifaceted airman, extraordinary brain, polymath pilot, the man who could calculate anything while still flying his airplane.
Capt Vikas Nautiyal is an ex- Indian Air Force fighter pilot presently appointed as Dy Chief Pilot – Operations at Air India Express. His association with late Capt Deepak Sathe goes back three decades.
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