As you read this, Ashutosh Srivastava--IDPA's first member from India--will be just about ready to take his check ride for the Private Pilot certificate. When we last spoke with him, he had just successfully taken his medical flight test at Du Page County Airport (DPA) just west of Chicago.

"I have to complete my long cross-country requirements, as well as the 'three takeoffs and landings at a controlled field' requirement before I can go for the check ride," Ashu said. "Weather and time permitting, I hope to go for the check ride within the next two months."

That was away back in the middle of February. Perhaps, if the weather in the Midwest has improved from the wretched state it has been all winter, Ashu will have his ticket now.

Ashu Srivastava, a deaf student pilot from northern India, with a Cessna 172 at Westosha Airport in Wilmot, Wis.

"I come from the northern part of India, and I grew up in a very small and quaint little town called Solan, about 200 miles north of the national capital, New Delhi," he said. "After finishing high school, I attended the University of Roorkee in Roorkee, about 100 miles northeast of New Delhi and a very reputable engineering institution in India, and studied electrical engineering. After finishing my bachelor's there, I came to the United States as a student and attended Louisiana Tech University, where I graduated with a master's in electrical engineering."

Ashu was not born deaf, but suffered a bout of measles or typhoid fever sometime around the time he turned six years old. "It was probably heavy medication--something ending with 'mycin' or 'mycetin'--that damaged the hearing mechanism."

Of course Ashu learned to speak before his hearing was impaired, but "as far as I can remember, my pronunciation has never been too good, even in my native language. I can get by quite well using hearing aids, though my hearing is not reliable."

When did the impulse to fly strike Ashu?

"I never dreamt that flying by myself was a possibility," he said. Back home in India "I used to admire the airplanes because they are nothing short of technological marvels. I did have a lot of interest in astronomy, aeronautics and astronautics when I was doing my bachelor's. I even applied to several schools for graduate studies in aeronautics and astronautics. While I was working for Navigation Technologies at their Rosemont, Ill., office overlooking O'Hare Airport, I was exposed to general aviation for the first time by a colleague who is a member of the International Flying Club at Du Page Airport.

"One day, the two of us were having lunch while observing the planes take off and land. He convinced me that it was possible for me to get the private pilot certificate, impaired hearing notwithstanding, and I didn't have to be a pilot to join IFC. I took my first flying lesson in April, 1999, and after that I was hooked."

What does flying mean to Ashu?

"Flying provides me with a sense of freedom and achievement," he said. "It is a pastime which I can immerse myself in completely. Learning to fly requires discipline and a fair amount of mental effort and persistence, making you feel that you have earned it." Visiting IDPA's web site and seeing that other deaf and hard of hearing people have become pilots has been an inspiration, Ashu added.

Another big morale booster, he said, was scoring a perfect 100 on the written knowledge exam for the private pilot certificate. Like many of us, Ashu studied for the exam by reading on his own, especially in books from the Schaumburg Public Library's extensive aviation collection, although he did take some ground instruction.

Last year Ashu returned to India to marry. His bride, Sangeeta, is also from northern India. "She thinks flying is full of adventure, and has asked me how soon she can start her flight training. The only complaint she has about my flying is that I spend too much time in 'hangar talk' with my instructor or fellow student pilots when I am at the airport."

Ashu may be reached online at asrivastava@coolsavings.com.