Wg Cdr Senapati was a Double Sword of Honour in his training and was commissioned in 1944. He was CO of 17 Squadron just before his retirement in 1967 and moved with the squadron from Kalaikunda to Jorhat flying Hawker Hunters.

During his wartime service in Burma he was shot down by ground fire and was stuck in the aircraft due to a jammed canopy. He burnt his hands slightly and managed to get out. There was an army detachment nearby and he was picked up by an aircraft and taken back to base.

As an instructor (CFI) in Begumpet he taught a number of pilots flying. Many of the pilots he taught later joined the airlines. Website shows pictures of the 63rd course with him in it. He retired in 1967 but did not want to fly airliners and chose instead to continue to teach flying as CFI of Karnal Flying Club.  Many of his students from there are now  senior pilots retiring form various airlines.

He later left the club and flew as a crop duster flying Piper Pawnees. He was the first civilian trained Helicopter pilot to convert from Fixed wing to Helicopter and he taught his helicopter instructor Flt Lt Peter Goswami fixed wing flying in Mahindra and Mahindra at Juhu Airfield in Mumbai.

He stopped flying after that in around 1973/1974 and became an artist doing Silk Screen Serigraphy. He lived for many years in Cozihom Apartments in Mumbai.