Capt. V. Sundaram (b. April 22, 1916) became a pilot at the age of 19. He trained in Madras, Karachi and Hamble. U.K. He instructed British and American pilots during the war, and flew for Tata and Indian Airlines, besides having been the Director of Civil Aviation in Mysore. Capt. Sundaram was one of the pioneers of aviation in India and his record of flying a De Havilland Dove from London to Madras in 27 hours, along with his wife and co-pilot Usha, remains unbroken. His was a life of adventure and excitement piloting aircraft which seem primitive in comparison to today's jet planes. His love of flying was so great that he continued to fly til a few months before his death at the age of 81.
Deeply committed to helping animals, Capt. Sundaram founded the Blue Cross of India in 1964 to campaign against cruelty to them and to provide a home and medical facilities for injured animals. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the Queen Victoria Medal by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1964, the Watumull Foundation award in 1987 and the Prani Mitra award by the Government of India in 1997.
This is the story of his adventures through tropical storms and deserts. Flying VIPs with engine failure. He flew Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel around the country in his mission to integrate the states with the Indian Union. To quote Air Marshal B.S. Krishnarao, "This is a very commendable work of a veteran aviator, narrating a great story it will prove most interesting to the general reader and highly informative and profitable to the aviators."
Capt. Sundaram passed away on May 31, 1997, while this book was under publication. It is being released on the 50th anniversary of India's Independence to commemorate one of the pioneering aviators of the Indian skies.
It is indeed a pleasant surprise that I have been asked by Captain Sundaram to write a foreword to this book. I am really proud that a senior aviator of his standing has given me, a retired Air Marshal, this high honour. I consider it a great privilege to write this foreword.
Way back in 1940, I was one of his pupils in the Madras Flying Club. In fact, he was my first instructor and actually taught me to fly. Over four decades have passed since then and I had completely lost touch with him. I am delighted that this interesting little book has renewed my association with him.
The "Maharajah's Plane deserves to be classed as a valuable book giving the most unique experiences of a civil pilot. One often talks of flying being one's "First Love and I cannot think of a person who befits this expression better than Captain Sundaram. In his entire narrative this aspect stands out prominently with facts to prove it. He has expressed his views boldly on certain decisions taken by captains of aircraft, having had the courage of conviction about the correctness of his decisions. He is also admirably frank in admitting certain minor errors committed by him at times. The differences of opinion he had with his higher authorities on operational matters, when he had to take the law into his own hands, are without prejudice or malice and ultimately prove his sincerity of purpose.
The change over from the British rule to Swarajya. the dedicated work of our leaders during the freedom struggle, the partition of India, the Razakar Movement, and the great part played by Sardar Patel in the Integration of States. To mention a few, have all found their rightful place in the narrative.
Someone once observed that if you found a job you loved, you would never have to work a day in your life. I found one, as an airline pilot, and at a time when people believed that only birds and fools fly.
Flying was considered primitive and a gamble, at best. It held out no promise of a lucrative career. Chose it because then, as now. I loved challenges and adventure. And I loved machines. The thought of conquering the skies in one fascinated me.
Sixty years ago, when I began flying in my home town of Madras, the Meenambakkam airfield was nothing more than a patch of grass. A part of it was a golf course. But to my 19-year-old eyes, it held magic. By the time I turned 30. I had flown some of the greatest heroes of the day Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, to name a few. On many of those flights, my wife, Usha, flew as co- pilot.
My story is based on the innumerable entries in the yellowing pages of my log books and carefully preserved letters, not on memory, which has a funny way of playing tricks with the passing of time.
Many of my contemporaries are not alive today. They, too, contributed to the growth of the aviation Industry in India, like me, many of them began their careers in flying machines that seated two, and like me. They retired after flying state-of-the-art airliners that have shrunk the world. To them. I dedicate this book.
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