PREM RAWAT — Man Of Peace | Biography Page 6 | Expanding Horizons ? Maharaji as Jet Pilot

Prem Rawat's tour schedule during the 1970s was as hectic and demanding as it is today. By the mid 1970s, DLM was chartering various aircraft to take Prem Rawat and his staff to widely spaced events. However, after a series of alarming incidents including an engine failure and an autopilot malfunction, a safer and more reliable means of transport for Prem Rawat and his tour staff became desirable.

A Boeing 707 was purchased in 1979. It was old but affordable. Prem Rawat began training for a commercial pilot's license, and the following year, after an extensive renovation project, the plane was put into service. The 707 project was well publicized internationally. Many thousands of people around the world contributed mostly small amounts to help make the purchase and refit possible. Several talented volunteers who helped refit the plane went on to establish careers in aviation-related industries.

Towards the end of the 1970s, large international events - 'festivals' as they were called at the time - were held at indoor and outdoor locations, sometimes lasting up to a week. Many people traveled from one festival to the next, finding short term employment to support their lifestyle.

Ashram residents pooled their funds and bought discounted airline tickets to attend major international events. Over 20,000 people attended outdoor festivals in Florida, one during 1978 and another in November 1979.

In India, Prem Rawat's father had been famous for singing and dancing through the night with his students. Hoping that Prem would do the same, some musicians wrote a song, "Dance all Night Long", and a ceremonial Krishna costume was prepared for the occasion. He put on the costume, and after a great deal of coaxing, got up and danced.

Immensely enjoyable though this era was, it did not last long. Prem Rawat wanted to take his message to a wider audience and began working towards that goal.

By 1981, he had obtained the necessary pilot's ratings and was able to fly the 707 himself, traveling to more than 40 cities and speaking on 120 separate occasions.

That year, he toured North and South America, Europe and India, and traveled to additional events in Nepal, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. (p228, Peace is Possible, Cagan) New aircraft noise regulations came into effect that year in the US. The 707's home base could no longer be used, and the plane had to be sold. A smaller and more economical executive aircraft was then obtained.

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