PETALING JAYA, March 10 — Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, who piloted Flight MH307, is as a man with many passions and hobbies.

The 53-year-old ex-Penang Free School student joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981 and has 18,365 hours of flying under his belt. 

A tribute page for the missing pilot had been set up here.

The website link which had been circulating social networking sites tells of how passionate Zaharie is about flying.

Pictures on the website which were taken from his Facebook page showed Zaharie’s keen interest in remote controlled aircraft. There are also pictures where he proudly shows off his custom-made Boeing 777 flight simulator which he built from scratch.

The website stated Zaharie was a passionate cook who would often cook dishes for his family members and friends.

Checks also revealed he owns a YouTube channel called Zaharie Shah.

The channel contains videos of Zaharie sharing tips on how to service household items, including how to repair a window pane and how to tune an air-conditioner.