Squadron Leader Dalip Singh Majithia (retired), the oldest living fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force, passed away at the age of 103 at his farmhouse in Uttarakhand on Monday night.

He retired from the IAF in 1947 after serving with several establishments, including No. 1 Air Gunnery School, No. 3 Squadron, No. 4 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron. Later, he flew as a private pilot.

Born on July 27, 1920, at Shimla, Majithia joined the IAF volunteer reserve in 1940 during the Second World War.

The officer was commissioned into the erstwhile Royal Indian Air Force in 1940, joining No. 1 Flight (Coastal Defence) based at Madras. He had participated actively in the Burma campaign during the Second World War.

An IAF official said Majithia was also the first pilot to land a plane in the Kathmandu valley in 1949, on a piece of land that is now the site of the country's international airport. He was barely 20 years old when he made his first solo sortie and he flew for the last time in January 1979.