Page 4 - JRD TATA

country’s most distinguished and
adventurous citizen. In 1982 at the age of
78, he re-enacted his Karachi-Bombay
flight of 1932 to instill a spirit of
adventure among the members of the
younger generation.

J.R.D. Tata’s Aviator’s Certificate No. 1, 1929.
FROM THE
On October 15, 1932, the first flight of
Indian civil aviation took off from Karachi
with J.R.D. at the controls of a Puss Moth
flying solo to Ahmedabad and on to
Re-enactment of the first airmail flight by
Bombay (now Mumbai).
J.R.D. Tata on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee
of Indian civil aviation – October 15, 1982.
COLLECTION
It was J.R.D.’s love for fast cars that led
him to Thelma Vicaji. In the 1920’s he
was gifted a Bugatti by his father. In those
days J.R.D. could drive a long distance of
roughly 200 kms in two and a half hours.
T h e B o m b a y
OF THE
Police were not
too happy with
the Bugatti in

J.R.D. Tata with Nevill Vintcent on his left at town and were
determined to
Juhu, Bombay, October 15, 1932 after the first frame him in an
historic flight of the subcontinent landed from accident. It was in
TATA CENTRAL ARCHIVES
Karachi. The plane was piloted by J.R.D. Tata.
one such frame-
up that J.R.D.
In 1946, Tata Air Lines, became a full-
fledged company called Air-India and two visited Jack Vicaji
years later at J.R.D.’s suggestion, Air-India to retain his
International was launched. J.R.D. services and saw Thelma, circa 1940.
resigned from the Boards and his beautiful
Chairmanship of both Companies when niece Thelma. A romance blossomed and
Indian Air Transport was nationalised in Thelma became Mrs. J.R.D. Tata in 1930.
1953.
In 1938, when Sir Nowroji Saklatvala, the
His single-minded devotion to every Chairman of Tata Sons who had
aspect of the airline was legendary. succeeded his cousin Sir Dorabji Tata in
Millions regarded J.R.D. as a symbol of that position a few years earlier, expired
integrity and forth righteousness, as the J.R.D. was catapulted to head the