{"id":31296,"date":"2026-10-01T23:38:44","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T23:38:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=31296"},"modified":"2026-10-01T23:38:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T23:38:44","slug":"the-worlds-smit-ten-pm-to-trump-praise-pours-in-for-braveheart-pilot-india-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=31296","title":{"rendered":"The world&#8217;s Smit-ten: PM to Trump, praise pours in for braveheart pilot | India News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134629625,imgsize-1249392,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg\" alt=\"The world's Smit-ten: PM to Trump, praise pours in for braveheart pilot\" title=\"The knife attack on Smit by the co-pilot inside the cockpit had forced the flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, to make an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Smit, 39, is recovering in Abu Dhabi.\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"The knife attack on Smit by the co-pilot inside the cockpit had forced the flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, to make an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Smit, 39, is recovering in Abu Dhabi.\">The knife attack on Smit by the co-pilot inside the cockpit had forced the flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, to make an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Smit, 39, is recovering in Abu Dhabi.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Just another pilot until a day ago, flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar became the toast of India, and the world, as acclamations and tributes streamed in Thursday from US President Donald Trump, PM Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, among others, for putting his life at risk to avert a mid-air tragedy.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>The knife attack on Smit by the co-pilot inside the cockpit had forced the flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, to make an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Smit, 39, is recovering in Abu Dhabi.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>Trump hailed Smit as a &#8220;hero&#8221; for fighting off the knife attack and opening the cockpit door to call for help. &#8220;The pilot, in bad shape, had the sense to open the door. In a way he was a hero,&#8221; Trump said. <!-- -->Flyers helped overpower the co-pilot, and a reserve flight crew travelling as passengers landed the plane safely.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/>&#8220;In the face of the gravest danger&#8230; he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others,&#8221; Modi wrote on X. The PM said he had spoken with Smit&#8217;s parents and wife. &#8220;Smit&#8217;s bravery fills every Indian with pride,&#8221; the PM said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>School friend Bhavin Jethva remembered Smit as &#8220;straightforward, bindass&#8221;. Smit&#8217;s classmates at a flying school in New Zealand went to him whenever a subject got difficult. As a captain and line trainer, he spoke to loaders and catering staff with the same respect as fellow pilots, friends said.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"15\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>PM: Captain Smit\u2019s presence of mind prevented 9\/11-like attack<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>Praising Smit Machchar for demonstrating \u201dpatience, presence of mind and courage\u201d, PM Narendra Modi said his \u201cactions prevented another 9\/11-like attack\u201d.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>Several Union ministers, CMs, and sportspersons celebrated Smit\u2019s bravery. <!-- -->Special prayers were held in Varanasi and Gujarat\u2019s Somnath temple, while his classmates from school have been posting prayers for his recovery on their WhatsApp group. A podcast interview by Smit last year has surfaced, in which he recalled how nervous he was and how he made mistakes during his first commercial flight and the lessons he learned.<\/p>\n<div data-type=\"in_view\" class=\"  \">\n<div class=\"LEzX4\">\n<div class=\"PmOGb\">\n<p class=\"PSf84\">Share your thoughts in the comments<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Insightful<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Agree<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Disagree<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Skeptical<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Concerning<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Promising<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Worth Reading<\/button><button type=\"button\" class=\"sUTYm \">Big Development<\/button><\/p>\n<p><textarea class=\"T9MbS\" rows=\"1\" placeholder=\"Add your Thoughts...\"\/><button type=\"button\" class=\"ZW6JD \" disabled=\"\">Post Comment<\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"swnca\">Be respectful \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatimes.com\/termsandcondition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"gkv0P\">TOI community guidelines<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> \u201cStressing is not going to help, at least \u2026 in this industry,\u201d he told Zalak Mehta of the \u2018Bona-Fide Banter\u2019 podcast.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>His presence of mind was lauded by President Murmu, who wrote on X, \u201cEven after being injured, he remained determined to protect the lives of others. His bravery and quick response helped prevent a major tragedy and saved many lives\u201d.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>Netanyahu was among the first to applaud Smit\u2019s \u201cextraordinary bravery\u201d in a post on X, saying the captain prevented a \u201ccatastrophic midair disaster\u201d. He said, \u201che saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals\u201d.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/the-worlds-smit-ten-pm-to-trump-praise-pours-in-for-braveheart-pilot\/articleshow\/134629573.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The knife attack on Smit by the co-pilot inside the cockpit had forced the flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, to make an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Smit, 39, is recovering in Abu Dhabi. Just another pilot until a day ago, flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"The knife attack on Smit by the co-pilot inside the cockpit had forced the flight carrying 174 people from Dubai to Tel Aviv, Israel, to make an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Smit, 39, is recovering in Abu Dhabi. Just another pilot until a day ago, flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":1,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg",400,225,false],"medium":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg",300,169,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/smit-machchhar-flydubai.jpg",150,84,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/author\/admin"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-31\">\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 \u0b2c\u0b3f\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}