After finishing his SLC exam, Siddharth Gurung went on a mountain flight with his father, Sunil Gurung, now a Chief Pilot at Buddha Air who has been flying for more than 32 years now. The then 15-year-old was star-struck with the view of the mountains from the cockpit of a plane his father was flying. His young eyes glittered with the mountains and watching his father with the flight controller, little Siddharth was fascinated.
“I feel connected to the thought of flying. My father has been a role model to me all my life, and that mountain flight was a wake-up call that made me realize how much I wanted to carry on that legacy of my father,” the now 28-year-old shares, “ I knew right then that I wanted to do this too, I wanted to become a pilot just like him.”
In the year 2011, Siddharth went to Dallas, Texas where his training began in the Delta Qualiflight Aviation Academy. After returning to Nepal in 2012, on 9 August 2013 was the day when he had his first flight at the age of 19, a mountain flight. A full circle moment of his life, he says, that was the day when he made the 15-year-old Siddharth’s dream come true.
In December of 2018, he went for his captain training in Bangkok. And on Jan 31, 2022, he became a Senior Captain at Buddha Air.
Always having his father right there to guide him through his journey, Siddharth feels lucky. ‘Flying’ is how they define their father-son relationship. Although such close relations aren't allowed to fly a plane together, they are connected by their love for it through their hearts. Being a part of the company that his father has been with for so long gives him more loyalty towards it.
“Every day I have something new to learn about aviation from him,” he shares, “I know I want to grow more, fly more, and learn more in this sector when I always have my father to count on.” Siddharth's eyes still glitter with the mountains, as it's a symbol of how his father inspired him and has been doing so until today.