Forty years old and with more than 11,500 hours of flying time, Cyrus Cama is an instructor on almost all wide-bodied aircraft including the Boeing 777, Airbus A330, A340 and now the A380.
A former Mumbai resident, he was also the first Indian pilot to join Emirates and moved to Dubai about 10 years ago. He was just 21 when he landed his first job with Vayudoot, India's first feeder airline, and flew with Jet Airways for five years before moving to Emirates.
"It was an honour," says Cama, recalling his selection for Emirates' first A380 training batch of eight pilots in May last year. "I feel very proud and happy about the selection. I am a Parsi and the late industrialist J.R.D. Tata – himself a Parsi – brought aviation into India. This achievement was of special significance to me."
With a maximum take-off weight
of 540 tonnes, a range of 8,000 nautical miles and a capacity of 555 passengers in three classes, the A380 is the largest passenger aircraft and is very advanced. "It is fly-by-wire like the A320, but there are remarkable differences. It is the only Airbus aircraft to have an electronic check-list. The avionics, computers, displays and screens are of the highest standard," says Cama. "It's a new toy in the sky. "
I
I enjoy being a training captain. Not everybody is cut out to be one. It depends on your temperament and
your mentality. It's not based on seniority – it's based on ability. In many other airlines, the position is available only to senior captains. I had played a similar role in my previous company, so it carried some weight. Most of my work involves pilot training. We fly as well once in a while. The work is very balanced.
My interest in training has to do with my flying and enjoying its benefits for so many years. Training is my way of giving back something to the system. I've received so much from it and now I want to return the favour.
My job has allowed me to have a good lifestyle and I have not always had to live my life out of a suitcase (as pilots usually do, five times a month). I still fly but I'm based more in Dubai. I train on the simulator, so I am home a lot, which is important to me.
I am obsessed with speed. I love fast cars. The need for speed is a bit of guy thing, I suppose. I fly the biggest airplane and
I want to drive the fastest car. What it all boils down to is man's control over machines. So far, I've never lost control and I never want to. Where aircraft are concerned, it's very difficult to lose control. It would be fatal. We fly under very strict conditions and we know our limits.
If you want a thrill, you have to fly the small ingle-engines. I don't feel the need to do stunts in the air. But then, that's where fast cars come in. I drive a custom-made Porsche. When I feel the need for a thrill, I turn to adventure sports. I go rafting and canoeing down rivers and paddling down rapids. That gives me my fill of adrenaline.
I am not a control freak, although a certain degree of control is very important. I am not didactic about anything. I try to live my life without hurting anybody.
If I did, I like to think that I would be the first to apologise and make amends.
I have a very broad outlook in life.
I am very easy-going and adapt to
other situations. I will never insist that my way is the only way of doing something. I don't like conflict.
My philosophy is to keep everybody happy as far as possible. I try to remain neutral and if that upsets somebody, that's their problem.
I currently fly A380s. There is only one aircraft with Emirates at the moment. During one month, I might only be on the simulator. Another month, I may fly a few times, but all my flights are Dubai to New York. When a new aircraft comes in there are also restrictions on flights. When more people are inducted into the fleet, maybe my flying frequency will increase. Right now, 95 per cent of my work is on the simulator. I am waiting for the rest of the A380s to come in to increase my flying!
I do feel elite in a way. Emirates told us that they were going to be ordering 10 aircraft and that's impressive. It's going to be a very small field. Most airlines are going to have very few of them in comparison. So you can't help but feel quite exclusive. I feel very privileged to be part of the first group of pilots to fly it. I am sure the novelty will wear off, but for now, it feels great.
With 58 aircraft, which will be
flown by 1,000 pilots, the elitism
will fade, but the initial thrill will be with me forever.
I've been flying for 19 years. I've flown the 777, which was the twin engine before the A380 and I'd flown the other models before that. But I still have many more miles to clock on so there's no time to become big-headed. I just turned 40 this year; I have time to fly till I am 65, so hopefully, I still have
a long way to go.
ME
Me and my values
My values arise from my Parsi roots as I was growing up in Mumbai. I grew up in a joint family in a huge bungalow –
a relic from the British Raj – in Bandra, a suburb of Mumbai. I had a great childhood as I had so much space in which to play.
The value that I uphold above all is to respect my elders. I find that is a value that is increasingly lacking in today's generation. Humility is another trait I treasure as is equality.
My wife and I try to instil these values in our children. Living in a joint family teaches you certain values that are hard to come by in nuclear families. Sharing is imperative. We all learnt to respect each other's space, to be tolerant and to be obedient.
Me and my childhood
I was the first grandchild in my family so I was rather spoilt! It was great. But this did not get in the way of my elders teaching me right from wrong. I must admit that I got away with a lot of stuff.
I was very naughty, but not delinquent.
My maternal grandparents were
an enormous influence. I would listen to them more than I would my
own parents.
The one thing I remember about my childhood was the lack of corporal punishment. When my father yelled
at me it had the desired effect. I think that his method was effective because when he wanted us to do something, he would explain to us why he wanted it. He was able to convince us. I realise now how important this was to our understanding of the world.
It's difficult to give my children that kind of upbringing, so I try to give them a sense of it by telling them how we grew up.
My parents were divorced when
I was 18 years old, but even after they split up, my mother lived just down the road so I was still able to see both my parents every day. Since I was old enough to understand what
was happening, it did not affect me
that much.
When I started flying professionally, I grew much closer to my father. Even now, although I stay with my mother when I go back to India, I get together with my father in the evenings and also get to see my sister.
Me and flying
At school I was more interested in extracurricular activities than in academics. I was always distracted by more exciting distractions such as cars and aeroplanes! My father had a fleet of cars, so my mind was more tuned to that than books. That said, I still did fairly well at school.
My future as a pilot did seem, in a way, preordained. My father ran his own aviation company, Cama Aviation, in Mumbai. There was no pressure on me to follow in my father's footsteps; I just always knew I wanted to be a pilot. After finishing school, I'd go to my father's office, which was at the nearby airport in Juhu. I used to hang around there from 3 to 6pm, and then go home with my dad after his work was done.
I used to go for joy rides on our planes. Even for boys whose fathers were working with big airlines, it was only possible to fly once or twice a year. I had the advantage of doing it every day if I wanted to.
After completing college, I told my father I wanted to be a pilot. I told him that I was more interested in flying than in taking over the business part of his company. My father supported and encouraged me to pursue aviation.
Me and my family
My family – my wife, Delna, and our two children – keep me grounded.
My son is 12 years old. My son was everybody's favourite baby when we were in India. My daughter Zoe was born in Dubai. My daughter didn't have that advantage, so she's much closer to my wife and I. I'm happy about this as she is the apple of my eye.
Delna and I met at college – St Xavier's in Mumbai. We courted for seven years. We've been married for 16 years now. She was in the airline industry too. She worked for Cathay Pacific as cabin crew for some time, and later for another airline. After we moved here, she worked for the Dubai Centre for Special Needs. We've spent more than half our lives together; we met when I was 18 and she 17. We give each other space
and we know one another's views
and moods.
MYSELF
How would you like to be remembered?
I love flying. It's the only thing
I can do. If I wasn't flying, I have no idea what I'd be doing as I am not qualified for anything else! When I was with Vayudoot Airlines, I flew the single-engined Avro, which is of another age.
I believe I've had a better grounding than today's young pilots who go straight from aviation school to flying big fancy jet aircraft. That said, I must confess that today if you put me in one of those old single-engines I'd be petrified! In the Avros, we would sometimes navigate by looking at the roads and hills. We used to go places that you can't pinpoint on a map, even today. Graduating to jet aircraft when I joined India's Jet Airways was a revelation at the time. Those days, Boeing 737s were the ultimate dream plane for any pilot.
I was the first Jet Airways pilot to join Emirates in 1996 and flew the 777 in 1998. It was the biggest twin-engine aircraft in the world at the time. I then became an instructor. After five years of flying and being an instructor on the 777, I was at the ‘now what' stage. Airbus was looking for volunteer pilots at that time. There is this policy of cross-training – pilots move to the supplier company to train there, while their instructors come down here.
I decided to volunteer.
There was a bit of a problem initially because I was a training captain on the 777 and they didn't want to release me. But I convinced my boss of the advantages. As a result, I became an instructor on the Airbus A330 and after that, the A340. The A380 is the ultimate aircraft of my generation and in this case it is true that size matters.
I remember when the Boeing 747 – the jumbo as it was commonly known – came out, it was a breakthrough and very hyped up. Today, it is minuscule in comparison to the A380. This is now the ‘super jumbo'. It's exciting to think what the future holds.
Career-wise, I feel that I've reached my destination. It doesn't mean that tomorrow I won't consider flying smaller aircraft. I believe that individual growth is important. There has to be something to challenge your mind.
What are you passionate about, apart from flying?
I reserve my passions
for flying, motor and adventure sports. My health is also a major priority in my life and
I go to the gym five times a week. I also try to spend as much time
with my children. When
I see fathers spending less and less time with their kids it reminds me
how important this limited time
with them is. I would like to see a change in society whereby people become more tolerant, patient and more disciplined.
If I had to retain just one material possession in my life, I'd choose my home. I worked hard to make it into what it is now and it is the haven
I escape to. It houses my family; with a home everything falls into place. I am not very materialistic. I enjoy things while they are there. But if tomorrow they are taken away, life will still go on. When it comes to my family, nothing material appears important.
Where is the aviation industry headed and what of environmental concerns?
Environmental awareness is the reason why they are making larger aircraft such as the A380. Instead of sending two smaller aircraft, fly one large one. The industry is developing engines that are more efficient and more environmentally friendly. They are experimenting with alternative fuels. When we flew the A380 test aircraft in Toulouse, its selling point was: ‘bigger, quieter, greener'. It's a global issue and everybody needs to contribute their bit at making the world a greener place.
I can see the change even at home.
The other day my son asked me out
of the blue if I took off on the A380, which is so heavy, and I had to land immediately, wouldn't the weight of the plane be a problem? I replied yes, it would. So he asked: what would I do to get around the problem? I replied that we would jettison the fuel to make it lighter.
But he had already thought of that! Then my daughter, who is only eight, asked me if the fuel wouldn't harm
the environment. I explained to her
that we would do it in a manner that would cause the least damage to the environment. I couldn't see myself asking this question at eight.
If you can ask the right questions, you will also come up with the answers that lead to solutions. So I think that we are headed in the right direction.
– Shiva Kumar Thekkepat is Feature Writer, Friday
