New-Generation pilots lack passion, leading to ‘commercialisation’ of flying, which is increasingly being treated merely as a career and a source of income, ace aviator and industrialist Vijaypat Singhania said here on Wednesday.

“The thrill that accompanies seat-of-the-pant flying — the feel of an aircraft moving up and down while being in total control— is hardly seen these days. Also, most of today’s pilots are heavily dependent on the GPS, a luxury most of us in my generation had to— rather chose —to go without,” Singhania said while addressing budding pilots at Pune Gliding Centre in Hadapsar.

Elaborating, he said ‘technical flying’ which merely involves ‘pushing buttons’ is commonplace today, while the ‘fun element of flying’, which revolves around passion and skill, is a rarity. “Most commercial aircraft today have three autopilots. I once flew at 30,000 feet with just a map and a compass,” he said. Rigorous classroom and practical training coupled with extra reading was the mantra for success , he said.

He urged young pilots to treat flying with “respect, awe and discipline,” adding that it was an ‘unsafe and unforgiving business’ that could cause death. “There is no room for error in flying. Equip yourself with theoretical knowledge as well as practical skill. Keep the passion alive and never, under any circumstances, press the panic button,” said the 70-year-old, qualified to fly 43 types of aircraft and has over 5,000 hours of flying experience.

“Technology is over-rated. It will fail when you need it the most. In any emergency, bank primarily on knowledge and expertise and resist panic,” he said. It was on November 26 in 2005 that Singhania, at the age of 67, set a world record for flying in a hot air balloon, achieving a height of 69,852 feet in a 1.60 million cubic feet balloon.

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