Touching The Sky

A student flying license at 17 — that might sound impulsive for a teenager, but not when it comes to Vikas Oberoi. He spent his teenage years studying meticulously, and followed through the discipline as the CMD of Oberoi Realty. Flying took a backseat, but nothing could lessen his fascination. So, Oberoi calls it an "epiphany" when, in 2010, he realised that it was time to take up the hobby again. He bought a single engine, Cirrus SR22T four-seater, and even enrolled in a flying school in Mumbai and later in London.

Since then, he has blocked his Sundays to fly off to a few of his favourite destinations. “I enjoy flying the Cirrus, especially when I am accompanied by my family and friends,” he adds. The picturesque route from Mumbai to Goa is his favourite. With the mountains on one side and sea on the other, Goa is a favourite place for his family too. Short flying trips to Ahmedabad are also a stressbuster to clear his mind. “After my family and the business, flying is the thing I love the most in the world,” says Oberoi.

It's been long since he completed his flying training, but he still sticks to the lessons. He explains, “In flying school they taught us that the first tenet of flying is, 'a good pilot is a safe pilot'. Once you take off, you have to land; there is no other option.” He has since applied the rule to all aspects of his life. “In business, once I launch a project, I know I must stick to the schedule to ensure timely delivery. Flying is also about checking everything and being completely sure before taking off. I run my business the same way,” he adds. No wonder then that Oberoi is also stringent about quality checks and meticulous about the processes his firm follows. He has learnt to be more mindful and aware of his surroundings — few of the lessons that he has learnt from flying. Today, if one were to ask a young Oberoi if he would ever pursue an adventurous sport, one thing is for sure: he certainly would not have foreseen him chasing the clouds.