Welcome to episode 133 of The Journey Is the Reward!

On this episode, Micah and Brian have a fascinating conversation with Retired Captain Mukhedkar, a former Indian Air Force instructor and Captain for Air India. "Capt. Mookie," as we were lucky enough to call him, joined us from India. He is currently recovering from heart surgery, so while his voice is a bit weathered, the wealth of history he shares is more than worth the listen.

Captain Mookie brings over 45 years of aviation experience to the table, spanning both military and commercial operations. With more than two decades in the Indian Armed Forces—much of it spent as a flight instructor—he eventually transitioned his skills to Air India. Over his career, he logged an incredible 15,000+ flight hours across 14 different aircraft types. The guys dive into his experiences with an impressive tail-number roster, including:

• Trainers & Props: Lycoming-5, Harvard T6G, HT-2 (the Indian-made trainer), Dakota, HS748, and the Pushpak.

• Military Jets: The L29 and L39 (flown in the Iraqi Air Force) and the HJT 16 Jet Trainer.

• Commercial Heavies: The Boeing 707, Airbus 310, and the legendary Boeing 747-200, 300, and 400 series.

As a special treat, we are joined by his daughter, Priya, who shares an adventurous family story about driving all the way from Iraq to England for a vacation. It’s truly the definition of a journey of a lifetime!

Join us for a Meetup! If you are in the New Jersey area on May 17th, we would love to see you:

·       When: Sunday, May 17, at 4:00 PM

·       Where: Charlie’s Pizza, Restaurant and Pub

·       Address: 1980 Rt. 37, Manchester Township, NJ 08759

And as always, our ears are blessed by the utterly soul-stirring, goosebump-inducing sounds of the Madalitso Youth Choir! Their Welcome and Goodbye songs, recorded straight from the Royal Livingstone Hotel in Zambia, are pure magic.

You can always find the audio recording at www.thejourneyisthereward.org.