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PIA pilot Salehyar Janjua leaves behind a video archive of Pakistan's pristine northern areas

PIA pilot Salehyar Janjua leaves behind a video archive of Pakistan's pristine northern areas

Captain Salehyar Janjua was an avid Youtuber, recording and uploading videos from the pilot's cockpit
Updated 09 Dec, 2016

Captain Salehyar Janjua, the slain pilot of the ill-fated Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-661 that crashed en route to Islamabad yesterday, will be remembered as a true patriot, a proud Pakistani.

As his work took him to the skies, he enjoyed bird's-eye view of Pakistan's beautiful Northern Areas. But he didn't just keep the sights to himself.

Capt Janjua became an avid Youtuber, recording and uploading videos from the pilot's cockpit.

Since May 2016, he has amassed a collection of 146 videos and a following of 999 subscribers to his eponymous Youtube channel.

Here are glimpses of his video collection:

He began his Youtube channel on May 22, 2016 with a video of the skies over Chitral:

On his channel, viewers could see many popular Northern Area sites, but from many thousand kilometres above. Here's a peek at Skardu:

Capt Jangua frequently flew to Gilgit, so the hill station was also prominent on his Youtube channel:

Occasionally, he would document family trips to restaurants and homes of loved ones in Islamabad/Rawalpindi:

A day before his crash, Capt Janjua uploaded videos of his plane's passage from Gilgit to Islamabad and back. This video of the Babusar Pass was to be his last:

Comments

Imtiaz ali khan Dec 08, 2016 03:56pm
R.I.P Thank you for your service Captain J.
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The end is near Dec 08, 2016 04:07pm
Thanks captain, you did a Great job.
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Dove Dec 08, 2016 04:38pm
Thank you for your service! May God Bless your soul
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Shehzad Dec 08, 2016 04:52pm
Captain. We miss u
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mustam Dec 08, 2016 05:04pm
I personally knew Saleh, a true gentleman and a very humble person. May his soul rest in peace!
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sohail Dec 08, 2016 05:54pm
Rest in peace
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Hafiz Saeed Dec 08, 2016 06:09pm
A commercial pilot must not be allowed to make video films when in cockpit. Safety is mot important when flying an aeroplane with passenger. Stay focused.
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Taimur Dec 08, 2016 06:21pm
R.I.P I am not sure about work ethics in PIA but in my organization it is never encouraged to use official resources for entertainment especially when at work
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Ghaznavi Dec 08, 2016 06:22pm
Great Pakistan. so sad about the crash, the captain seemed a young fella with his whole life in front of him, the skies will miss him.
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Asma Ali Dec 08, 2016 07:02pm
RIP Captain!! You left something for everyone to cherish before you left this world.
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MNc Dec 08, 2016 07:22pm
Thanks Dawn for sharing this.
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syed wasim haider Dec 08, 2016 07:37pm
RIP
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Humza Dec 08, 2016 07:57pm
@Hafiz Saeed Please. International pilots, of very reputable international airlines take pictures, and make videos from their cockpits. At a certain height, you go into auto-pilot, therefore making it safe to make one. Plus, he had 12,000 miles of experience, do you really think a pilot would put his YouTube channel priority over the life of his passengers?
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Adnan mUSTAFA Dec 08, 2016 07:58pm
Dear Captain, Thanks for uploading the amazing videos. You will be missed. May your soul reset in peace.
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shah Hussain Dec 08, 2016 08:06pm
Rest in peace Captain sab! The last video was a tribute to life and the beauty of Pakistan! Long Live Pakistan!
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Ravi Dec 08, 2016 08:22pm
Oh Captain! My Captain! Thou maketh thou country great!
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Bilal Dec 08, 2016 08:26pm
@Taimur you need to work at a better place . Enjoying your job is not bad work ethics.
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saeeds Dec 08, 2016 08:39pm
@Taimur Work ethics is different for different organization In America president can do all kind of stuff with his intern and can still be greatest president. Enjoy Videos
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Kamran Masud Dec 08, 2016 08:39pm
MasaAllah, excellent video
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Ahmedyar Janjua Dec 08, 2016 08:40pm
Entire family feels your loss. Rest in peace!
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Saeed Baig Dec 08, 2016 09:41pm
May Aallah Almighty rest his soul in peace. Being a commercial pilot how come PIA authorities allowed such a mistakes on official duty for filming and putting the life of passengers in danger. Strict actions should be taken against such employees in future.
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The end is near Dec 08, 2016 09:47pm
@Hafiz Saeed You Are right but this is Pakistan my friend. Everything is possible here even in the cockpits.
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Anees Dec 08, 2016 10:05pm
@Ahmedyar Janjua we join you all in mourning your loss. May the Duvine's Blessings on The Capt. as he sails in to the heavenly abode
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Hamza Dec 08, 2016 10:07pm
We pray for your highest rewards in your next (eternal) life. Ameen
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Taimur Dec 08, 2016 10:44pm
@Humza Auto pilot mode in ATR over Himalayas?
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Akash Dec 08, 2016 10:52pm
@Hafiz Saeed "A commercial pilot must not be allowed to make video films when in cockpit" This is not like driving a car on a road (even with cruise control). All modern planes including the ATR42 have good auto-pilot features, a slew of proximity early warnings etc. that can allow the pilot/s to relax once he/they get/s to desired elevation. Don't assume that you know everything, especially with a name like yyours.
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Kollengode S Venkataraman Dec 08, 2016 11:02pm
My hear breaks on seeing his wife and kids in a restaurant!!!! I am sure air travel safety is not taken as seriously as we need to. In many places, they take near-misses of accidents more seriously than actual accidents themselves. The managements encourage employees to report near-misses without a threat of retribution. Nobody is punished for reporting near-misses. But they pay attention to what went wrong in these near misses which could have led to big accident and not on who to blame. This way, collectively organizations learn on how to minimize accidents. If we have more and more near misses that we do not learn from, we are only increasing the chances for the real thing, which is always disastrous. --
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Sheikh azeez Dec 08, 2016 11:21pm
Please declare a Nationa Day Of Mourning and flags flying at half mast.
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M . Khan Dec 09, 2016 12:44am
RIP Captain. All air crashes are painful. But this is so painful as this took away sweet memories of 80 and 90 generation.
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HMR Dec 09, 2016 12:52am
@Hafiz Saeed All commercial planes fly a preplanned designated route based on autopilot. The pilot takes control on takeoff and landing. Pilots are humans too, let them enjoy. Peace✌
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Hassan nasir Dec 09, 2016 01:02am
Have been through most of his videos since yesterday, and honestly he's been doing a great job. I have also been wondering if Salehyar had filmed his last journey as well and by any luck his phone survived the crash. That could provide some clue to the actual situation that plane was in before it crashed. P.S. Those who appear disturbed by the fact that the captain filmed his journeys must take a look at the videos. His phone was mounted at a certain place and was only occasionally adjusted to get a better/different view.
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Javed Dec 09, 2016 01:13am
Fakhar-e-Alam is right in suggesting that the CAA will most likely report that the crash was due to 'Pilot Error', simply because the pilot is dead and cannot testify that it was catastrophic maintenance failure that was the culprit.
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Tanvir Dec 09, 2016 01:18am
RIP Captain
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S. A. M. Dec 09, 2016 01:31am
@Ravi one of my fav poem.
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Asad Dec 09, 2016 01:45am
This is indeed a tragic and sad incident where so many beautiful people lost their lives. My thoughts and prayers goes out to those families. But this ignited a thought in my mind and leads to a concern not only with PIA but as well with world's airlines flight-crew that should it be allowed to capture videos and pics during flight. As there are many pilots that have active pages and instagram accounts showing their posts during flights and crucial phases of take-off or landing, isn't it as dangerous as while doing it while driving, and it does takes away ones concentration when a good angle or good sight is on your mind from flight controls? Doesn't it hinder with the flight safety and passengers safety? FAA may need to derive a legislation for that i suppose. Just my thought.
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MOIZ SHAIKH Dec 09, 2016 02:14am
Rest In Peace
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VoiceOfReason Dec 09, 2016 02:20am
This is reckless behavior in my opinion. I would be interested in knowing if there any international laws that lays out do's and don'ts while flying a plane. I cant imagine this would be permitted in a country like US.
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Kamal Dec 09, 2016 02:22am
@Hafiz Saeed : Of course he wasn't holding camera while landing... duh. He made films with Go-Pro affixed to console or some other fixture in cockpit.
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Zak Dec 09, 2016 02:41am
Amazing legacy of beauty. Our prayers for the captain and the family.
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Zak Dec 09, 2016 02:42am
@Hafiz Saeed that's only when co pilot takes over to give CAPT rest.
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varun s. Dec 09, 2016 05:46am
RIP.. Thanks for sharing these videos.. These videos makes me forget the world as we know..
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Prince Dec 09, 2016 06:54am
12000 miles of experience is absolutely nothing
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jAWAD Dec 09, 2016 07:03am
@HAMZA Theoretically I can see your point but in reality, lines are shifted and norms are gradually distorted almost all the times under the influence of drifting standards and values in that society. That's the very reason the country cannot be categorized as a "progressive nation" for centuries now. It is so sad dear but YES , consciously or unconsciously, a PIA pilot can ignore the safety of passengers under the influence of that trend, or any other substance.... That is the reality of life -we accept it or not.
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guru Dec 09, 2016 07:05am
Amazing videos.... Very sad loss
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jAWAD Dec 09, 2016 07:08am
Dawn, PIA and family ought not to release such things on an international forum! It reflects so bad on whole country if these were actually complied in cockpit.
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Zuni Ali Dec 09, 2016 09:20am
I love the videos showing the real and natural beauty of bestowed Pakistan. But i would be critic of carrying these activities while flying with number of passengers (when their life responsibility falls on you).
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M.Ahmed Dec 09, 2016 09:40am
He saved so many lives by somehow diverting the plane to an unpopulated area and avoided the mountain also. Instead of paying tributes to him, PIA and CAA are giving face saving statements and between the lives imply that it was the pilot's error! Just like Mr Saad Rafiq shifted the blame to the train driver in the recent train accident. Pathetic and heartless!
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sunil lakhanpal Dec 09, 2016 11:20am
we salute to captain for passion
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Talia Dec 09, 2016 01:55pm
May Allah bless you .... great work captain !!!
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Talia Dec 09, 2016 01:58pm
May Allah bless you..... ameen.....
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Imran AB Dec 09, 2016 02:50pm
He died on his job ......... Seems like he had less than a minute after the plane developed trouble
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azeem usmani Dec 09, 2016 02:54pm
you are also a hero of this country. you was not just a pilot, you was a true nature what Allah developed in mankind. salam pilot!
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Faisal Dec 09, 2016 03:24pm
So many uninformed views, its actually sad to read apparently knowledgeable people commenting without a clue and pretending to be champions of safety. A cockpit cam like a dash cam in motor cars, is mounted on a stand, not hindering pilot duties in any way. Many airlines of international repute use such cams to promote business and depict professional procedures, approaches into difficult airports etc. It actually makes me angry to read such crass comments, deploring pia and a Captain, who loved what he did and sought to share the beauty with rest of the world. Decency and respect in face of such tragedy demands that concerned make informed comments and not indulge in sensationalism.
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Khank Dec 09, 2016 05:49pm
God Bless
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Khank Dec 09, 2016 05:50pm
@Humza well explained
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Khank Dec 09, 2016 05:52pm
@The end is near what a discouraging message . It was just mishap it could be with anyone who might be just taking selfies , so get life
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Ahmed Dec 09, 2016 07:29pm
@Prince Its 12000 hours not miles
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aman Dec 09, 2016 09:10pm
may Allah sw grant them junnah, all- Ameen.
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Khan Dec 09, 2016 09:24pm
Probably what everyone says, "a nice man", is true.
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Sarwar, USA. Dec 09, 2016 09:47pm
Excellent videos ... Rest in Peace captain. Modern cameras when set can take pictures without much interventions. It seems that camera is installed at the back and operated remotely.
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Arij Dec 09, 2016 09:52pm
@Saeed Baig He could not have made the videos while flying himself. He probably asked the third pilot in the cockpit to make them. The third pilot is usually an observer with no other duties than observing.
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Usman Dec 10, 2016 02:12am
@Faisal true I totally agree with u....I'm amazed at what these heartless people are pinpointing at this time of tragedy...keeping in mind his family might be reading these comments...Please have decency guys and stop portraying yourselves and your so called High standards of safety on this forum in such circumstances when our hearts are already wrenched.If not for us have sympathy for Sir Saleh's family who are already in a traumatic state and comments of these sorts will further break them.Don't forget he was a pilot and he knew his job well more than u or I do.
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BAXAR Dec 10, 2016 02:41am
you were a real hero
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HabiB Dec 10, 2016 07:13am
Captain Job is monitor and fly plane safely rather than fabricating the image as to his irresponsible behaviour towards his flight occupants it is highly irresponsible beviour to create video for his Chanel People appreciating must know captain safety standard requirements before comments !
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ARBAB MIR Dec 10, 2016 07:44am
We should use this oppurtunty to build our own airplanes.We need universities in aviation building.We should honour these fallen victims by making a better National Airline nothing less they deserve this We deserve this nothing less. We should wake up and stand on our own. Nobody cares if you don't care.If airbus,Boeing,Pratt and Whitney, Rolls Royce can do it so can we.All you need is people who say I will learn the skills and join others in the process and apply those learnt skill to build airplanes that are safe to fly.If you do not try on a National level and just say well china is having difficulty building jet engines then you might as well sit in front of your TV for the rest of your life.Muslim nations are to dependent on others who are laughing at us.We need to wake up and say we can do what you can do.And in order for that to happen people need to learn the skills necessary to carry this out.
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Lisa k Dec 10, 2016 09:10am
@Hafiz Saeed Lol...Do you think he is holding it with his hands? You can get a phone/ camera holder for dirt cheaper and stick it anywhere for continuous hands free recording.
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Wasiq Dec 10, 2016 03:36pm
R I P Captain you were a real fighter till your last Breath
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pervez Dec 10, 2016 07:58pm
Rest in Peace Captain. Thanks for promoting beauty of Pak
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Aziz Ali Dec 10, 2016 11:50pm
Rest in eternal peace Captain Jangua,
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Ahmad saeed Dec 11, 2016 09:41am
One should fulfill his curiosity about his hobbies on his personal resources time and dedication rather to go for secondary things and leaves primary duties.i will agree with Mr. Taimur with no excuse acceptable.
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Prof. naeem dar Dec 12, 2016 06:05pm
Capt. Janjua, a True Pakistani. May his Soul rest in Peace.
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Al fatmi Dec 12, 2016 08:46pm
Thanks Dawn, for introduing us to Captain Janjua.
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hasan Dec 13, 2016 11:27am
@Faisal, Very Well said, completely agree with you.
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