Usha and Sundaram – The Couple Pilots

In the late 1940s, when Sardar Patel was traveling across the country in his historical effort to unify post-Independence India, Usha Sundaram was often one of the pilots for his flights.

At a time when Indian women planes were still a rarity, Usha took to the skies at a young age soon after she married V Sundaram in July 1941, becoming the first graduate of the flying club at Bengaluru’s Jakkur.

Sundaram was an accomplished pilot and an instructor at the Madras Flying Club. He and Usha became the pilots of the Maharaja of Mysore’s personal plane, a Dakota DC-3, that was utilized by dignitaries like Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad to fly to different corners of India.

In 1947, during the Partition, Usha also daringly flew into Pakistan on a few occasions to rescue people stranded due to widespread violence and brought them back safely to Indian soil on her plane.

In 1951, Usha and Sundaram flew from London to Bombay in 27 hours to set a world record. The record still stands.