Pilot killed in mid-air crash a skilled flyer, say family and friends
Nabeel Chaudry always looked out for others, brother says
Friends and family of a pilot killed in a mid-air plane crash near Fort McMurray last weekend say he was a skilled flyer and a generous man who always looked out for others.
Nabeel Chaudhry, 33, was a dedicated pilot who loved his job as a flight instructor, said his brother, Adeel Chaudhry.
"Flying was always his passion, and that's all he really enjoyed. He did not want a TV. He didn't have any other requirements or needs. Flying was it. That was his passion."
He said his brother was an air force cadet in Pakistan before the family moved to Canada.
"It's a big test. Thousands take the test and only hundreds get selected, and he was one of them."
Chaudhry was born in Saudi Arabia and had a special place in his heart for Pakistan, where the family later moved. He was happiest at home in Edmonton with his wife, whom he married about a year ago, his brother said.
"They were very happy together. I think he was the happiest when he was with her."
Rashid Nazir met Chaudhry at flight college in Moncton, N.B.
"I knew him for quite some time as a pilot myself, and I had the opportunity to fly with him as well, and he was a good pilot and a good friend."
Nazir is one of many asking how a mid-air crash could have happened.
"It is rare though to have a mid air collision like that - two aircraft getting hit - so we'll find out."
Chaudhry died along with Amjed Ahmed, 32, Sunday night when their Cessna 172 collided with another plane.
The other pilot survived after crash landing his plane at the Fort McMurray airport.
Adeel Chaudhry found it difficult to describe his grief for his oldest brother at the funeral at the Al Rashid mosque Thursday.
"I was the youngest," he said. "He always took care of me."
Chaudhry was a committed Muslim and was fasting for Ramadan at the time of the crash, his brother said.
The family is getting lots of support from friends across the country and around the world, he said.
with files from the CBC's Gareth Hampshire