JRD Tata was India's first licensed pilot
Indian industrialist JRD Tata, widely regarded as the father of Indian civil aviation, became the first person to obtain a commercial pilot license in India in 1929, with 'No. 1' printed on his license. Born on July 29, 1904, the aviator and entrepreneur launched India's first airmail service three years later, which later became the country's national carrier, Air India.