Aviation Things

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to work in the armed forces, specifically the Navy. Why the Navy? I had watched an ad about the Indian Navy, seen movies like Battleship and always loved the water and the deep blue of the ocean.

I even used to tell my friends and family that I’d join the Navy after high school and that I already knew the path. Many people suggest writing your goals and affirmations daily because it supposedly brings some sort of positive energy. Personally, I believe it just makes you more self-aware about what you want to do. Regardless, the younger Alok used to write on his cardboard daily:

“When I grow up, I want to be a navy officer.”

Anyways, a child’s dreams keep changing, and so did mine. I thought that if I became a Navy officer, I wouldn’t be able to fly, and flying seemed ten times cooler than boarding ships. So, I decided I would become a pilot instead and that didn’t last long either.

Either way, enough of the boring stuff. I’m writing this to journal my love for aviation. So, since I wanted to be a pilot at one point, it’s no surprise airplanes, rocket ships, and any flying objects hold a special place in my heart. I was, and am, amused by seeing the massive commercial aircraft flybys, those fighter jets, and helicopters flying at the speed of sound, faster than any other vehicle. Traversing space in three dimensions, which just seems limitless, sounds so thrilling, right?

I often used get dreams of wars where planes and helicopters were flying above my house, and I was amazed by their sights and sounds. Once, I even dreamed of spotting a top-secret plane fly by, and then ten agents came to arrest me because I wasn’t supposed to see it! (Still makes me laugh, xD)

Where I come from, a local political leader had a helicopter. During his village visits, it used to land on the ground not far from my house. That was the first time I saw a helicopter up close—it was amazing. We’d wave at it as it flew above our heads, you know, typical kid stuff.

When I got access to the internet, I naturally looked up helicopters, fighter jets and movie clips featuring private choppers and presidential aircraft. These things are just on another level! One memorable day, I was playing outside when I heard the sounds of a massive aircraft. I rushed to the roof and saw a giant plane pass in the sky. Moments later, louder noises followed—it was army helicopters, flying almost directly overhead. I was very happy & excited! I still remember how complex the bottom structure of the helicopter looked.

If you’ve watched the movie Dune, you’d know the scene where they check on the spice harvesters using special helicopters called ‘ornithopters.’ These insect-like machines with wings were mesmerizing. The ornithopters, along with the scene where the spice harvester is lifted, were the highlights of the movie for me. Not only that, but the AVs in cyberpunk game are also amazing. Being able to travel through the city by air, watching them land, and everything else—it looks very cool. We may even have a future similar to those depictions in terms of flying vehicles I think.

Just look at the beauty of these modern machines. I’m sure they’ll continue to evolve in design, becoming even more stunning and faster. The B-2 bomber, F-22 Raptor, any Airbus and a few other planes are among my favorites. It makes me wonder—who wouldn’t love them? The adrenaline rush from being in a fighter jet, I bet, is something nothing can match. Even though I haven’t experienced it myself, I can imagine that those who have, surely love it.

Now, let’s talk about the life of commercial aircraft pilots because I envy the pilots living such a good life. I used to follow many pilots and watch their vlogs on YouTube—a day in the life of a pilot and pilot students—and I just loved their lifestyle. All those years of hard work and then flying every day, enjoying all the facilities, different planes, and staff and traveling to multiple countries—it’s just magical. For people who really enjoy their job, well I think it can be anyone, but pilots are surely one of those kinds. Obviously, I’m only seeing the bright side, but sure, there are challenges too, like messed-up sleep schedules and the responsibility of hundreds of lives on every flight. But then again, every job has some not-so-good things.

In the future, if I get a chance, I would love to be in a fighter jet, the ones where there are two pilots, and I’d love to fly it for a few hours. I think that’d make the child Alok in me really happy.

All in all, I haven’t been in any aircraft just yet, but I’m hoping that in 2025 I can experience my first takeoff. Now again, it probably won’t be a very good experience, but it’d be an experience to remember.

Thanks to humanity for making such an amazing piece of art that looks good, has multiple uses and has solved a lot of humans’ problems.