Just two months before former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani died in the tragic crash of Air India flight AI 171 in Ahmedabad, he was seen inside the cockpit of another aircraft, keen to understand how it operates.
In June, Rupani was among the 241 passengers who lost their lives when an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad’s Meghaninagar area. The accident also claimed the lives of more than 20 local residents.
Now, two months after the tragedy, old photos of Vijay Rupani sitting in the cockpit of a Boeing 737-200 aircraft have gone viral on social media. These pictures were taken during his visit to Indus University in April, where he was learning about aviation.
The Boeing 737-200 aircraft, where the photos were taken, is about 50 years old and is placed on the campus of Indus University for educational purposes. It was brought to the university seven years ago. The aviation department of the university invited him to sit inside the cockpit of the old Boeing aircraft.
Captain Umang Jani, Head of the Aviation Department at the Western India Institute of Aeronautics, said Rupani was very curious and asked many questions about how planes fly and how pilots control them. He sat in the pilot’s seat and showed great interest in the cockpit instruments.
“He asked where to place feet, how to hold the controls, and was amazed by the meters and switches,” said Jani.
In a twist of fate, it is worth mentioning that the cockpit of the Boeing 737-200 aircraft in which the former CM was seated is quite similar to that of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. However, the Dreamliner uses advanced digital systems while the older aircraft relies on analog controls.
Rupani had shared the cockpit photos on his social media shortly after his visit. After his tragic death, those photos are being widely shared again.
– Ends
