PETALING JAYA (The Star/Asia News Network) - When news broke of the Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501 going missing en route from Surabaya, Ms Maira Elizabeth Nari felt a familiar pang of pain.

Coming from an aviation family herself, the daughter of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 chief steward Andrew Nari was shocked.

Ms Maira expressed her well wishes for the 22-year-old daughter of Flight QZ8501 pilot Captain Iriyanto - Angela Anggi Ranastianis - and hoped family and friends of all on board the missing aircraft would stay strong.

Ms Angela had issued a heartbreaking plea on social networking and messaging app Path late Sunday, saying, "Papa, come home, I still need you".

With search-and-locate operations still going on in the Java Sea, Ms Maira said she hopes that Angela would have faith in God and stay strong.

"Yes, it is not easy, but if you leave it to God, you'll be calm. Take it slowly, and you're gonna be fine. Know that he loves you.

"Pray whenever you feel sad or angry, for it'll guide you," she added.

Singapore-bound flight QZ8501 took off on Sunday morning from Juanda International Airport, and had lost contact in Indonesian airspace around 7.24am, local time.

The Jakarta Post reported that Captain Iriyanto, born on Dec 12, 1961, married Widya Sukati Putri before settling in Sidoarjo, East Java, an hour's drive from Surabaya where flight QZ8501 departed for Singapore.

They have two children, Angela and Arya Galih Gegana, who is eight.

Captain Iriyanto is described as an experienced Air Force pilot who flew F-16 fighter jets before becoming a commercial pilot in 1993, and had previously been employed with Adam Air, which shut down in 2008.

He has a penchant for classic motorcycles, and is a member of a local motorcycle club.

AirAsia said he had logged a total of 6,100 flying hours, while the co-pilot, French national Remi Emmanual Plesel, had 2,275 hours.