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Indian President turns pilot, flies SU-30 fighter
Daily News Analysis India ^ | Friday, June 09, 2006 00:27 IST | Haima Deshpande

Posted on 06/08/2006 8:28:45 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki

President turns pilot, flies the SU-30 MKI Flanker

Haima Deshpande

Friday, June 09, 2006 00:27 IST

PUNE: “I am a contented man. My childhood dream has been fulfilled,” gushed President A P J Abdul Kalam after his 30-minute joy ride in the rear cockpit of a fighter aircraft (SU-30 MKI Flanker) on Thursday. This feat has made the President the oldest Indian to fly a fighter aircraft.

As he was helped out of the aircraft by “co-pilot” Wing Commander Ajay Rathore, after it touched base at the Lohegaon Air Force station, the President’s eyes gleamed with excitement. So affected was Kalam by the experience that he kept smiling with childlike glee. Clad in the flying gear of a fighter pilot and sporting a cap with the Air Force insignia, the President narrated his experience to the assembled media.

“I pushed to the left and pushed to the right, then went up and down. Everything is so beautiful from the top,” he said. After a refresher course prior to the flight, to familiarise him with the aircraft, Rathore escorted Kalam to the two-seat, multi-role fighter bomber. According to sources, as he donned the pilot’s gear, the 74-year-old President — the father of India’s missile technology — was visibly excited. “He moved like a young man. He could not stop smiling as he was helped into the aircraft,” said an Air Force source.

The sortie included mild maneuvers, simulated air-to-air attack and air-to-ground strikes. The aircraft flew at supersonic speed giving the President a glimpse of its extensive capabilities. He did some minor controlling at the dual controls of the aircraft and helped navigate it through steep turns, a loop and barrel rolls.

Wing Commander Ajay Rathore mostly kept away from the media. “It was a privilege to fly with the President. It was an exciting ride,” he said. Clocking over 700 flying hours with the Sukhoi, this commanding officer of the Number 20 Squadron (Lightnings) has also flown the MiG 27, MiG 21 (Bison) and the SU-30 K. This flight though must have been his most memorable one.

Interestingly, Kalam had failed to qualify as a pilot for the Air Force in 1958. In his informal interaction with the media at the same venue, the President felt that the youth had to be more outgoing. “There is so much to do. The youth must be more adventurous. The country can then benefit by this adventurous spirit,” he said.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: apjabdulkalam; armsbuildup; iaf; india; indianpresident; miltech; russia; su30; sukhoi; sukhoi30
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1 posted on 06/08/2006 8:28:49 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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To: sukhoi-30mki

"It's GOOD to be King!"

If I were King...I would have my schedule full:

Monday: All day in an M1 with all the ammo I want.

Tuesday: F-15E with as many missles and bombs as I desire, and lots of nice fat things full of fuel on the ground.

Wednesday: USS New Jersey, gunnery practice against some old oil tankers.

Thursday: Explosives day. As much C4 as I want. Big stacks of it. And lots of open space. Or maybe some high rise buildings I have obtained from rich liberals who have been put in jail for treason. Or maybe just their houses.

Friday: Los Alamos day, of course. The welding goggles are ready. We could cover a nuke with a bunch of watermelons to see what happens...:)

Saturday: I have an F-22 and get to go head to head with poor saps in F-15's and F-16's. Just to stroke my ego.

Sunday: Carrier day. We do cats and traps, supersonic flybys at 50 feet, fire some Harpoons at old Pakistani warships. Have barbecue and beer on the flight deck to some really loud rock and roll music over the 1MC.


2 posted on 06/08/2006 8:46:40 PM PDT by rlmorel ("Innocence seldom utters outraged shrieks. Guilt does." Whittaker Chambers)
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To: sukhoi-30mki
http://specials.rediff.com/news/2006/jun/08sl1.htm

Kalam on Wings of Fire

On Thursday, President A P J Abdul Kalam, supreme commander of the armed forces, fulfilled a childhood dream when he became the first Indian Head of State to fly a fighter plane.

"I always wanted to be an Air Force pilot but was rejected in 1958 and therefore I became a scientist," the 74-year-old Kalam said soon after his 40-minute supersonic flight on a Sukhoi-30 MKI at the Lohegaon Air Force base in Pune on July 8. The President's flight marked the airbase?s 50th anniversary.

Image: President A P J Abdul Kalam in the cockpit of the Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter plane before takeoff at the Lohegaon Air Force base in Pune.

The Sukhoi-30 MKI with its special payload took off at 10.30 am even as hundreds of Indian Air Force officers and some three dozen journalists watched. Kalam co-piloted the plane with Wing Commander Ajay Rathore, commanding officer of the Lightning Squadron based at Lohegaon.

The President had called on Commander Rathore on May 18 when he was given instructions on what he needs to do as co-pilot and how to operate a fighter plane.

Last night when he arrived in Pune, he was again briefed and given a demonstration about how the flight would go.

This morning half a dozen IAF pilots accompanied Kalam to the aircraft and gave him further instructions before takeoff.

Before taking off, the President was given a guard of honour and met senior defence officials. He then went on to change into the G-suit required on the Sukhoi.

The G-Suit is an anti-gravitational suit and helps in proper blood circulation when the flight flies at supersonic speeds.

The President's day began with a light breakfast. Two hours later he had to undergo flight training exercises.

When the time for the flight came, President Kalam calmly waved out to the assembled crowd and got into the cockpit.

Image: President Kalam boarding the Sukhoi; (inset) With Wing Commander Ajay Rathore who piloted the

On his return, when asked whether he was nervous, President Kalam quipped: "There was no time to be nervous."

"I went up. I went down. I took right and left turns," he said in his typical childlike manner. "I did every thing that Commander Rathore told me to do. He is a great teacher. I feel proud that our country has such great and good pilots."

Asked about the purpose of the entire exercise, he said, "I want to give a message to young Indians that they should join the Indian Air Force. They should be adventurous and feel proud of our defence forces. We have a great team of IAF pilots and after flying today I am proud to say that our country is in safe hands."

Before the President's plane took off, two other Sukhois demonstrated the aircraft's mid-air combat capabilities.

Since passing out of the Madras Institute of Technology where he specialized in aeronautical engineering, Kalam had been associated with avionics. In particular, he was deeply involved with the country's Light Combat Aircraft project. A year ago, he visited the Sukhoi design bureau in Moscow where he held discussions on a fifth-generation aircraft.

Image: The President all geared-up, wearing an oxygen mask before take-off.

The President's flight went into twists and turns and also stalled mid-air in order to give him a first-hand experience of the fighter plane's capabilities.

When told to comment on what he saw from above, the President joked, "The sky was looking blue everywhere. The plane was travelling at a great speed. During the twists and turns I too had to help out in operating the flight, so the only thing I remembered in mid-air was that the colour of the sky was blue."

The President was also shown how the planes acquire targets and shoot. He was also shown by Commander Rathore how to spot enemy ground targets.

Image: The Sukhoi-30 with the President onboard takes off

Asked what they spoke about on the flight, Rathore said, "I was giving him more technical instructions on how to operate the plane. He also told me how eager he was to fly an Air Force plane since his childhood."

When told to sum up his feelings, Rathore said, "I am happy that I was the chosen one for this duty. It's one of the proudest moments of my life. He is a scientist and he has helped our country to move ahead in defence. I am proud to do this service for him and our country."

After landing, the President was treated to combat exercises by IAF squadrons.

An hour later as he waved goodbye he said, "I feel proud to tell every Indian that they are in very safe hands and our borders are very well protected and there is no danger from any enemy."

3 posted on 06/08/2006 8:48:49 PM PDT by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: rlmorel

Well the Indian pres is the equivalent of the British queen-more ceremonial than any real powers.


Anyway,you're proposed schedule could have been far more useful if you would let lose a couple of F/A-22s over Saudi Arabia or send Tomahawks sightseeing over Iran!!


4 posted on 06/08/2006 8:50:51 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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To: sukhoi-30mki

[Clad in the flying gear of a fighter pilot and sporting a cap with the Air Force insignia, the President narrated his experience to the assembled media. “I pushed to the left and pushed to the right, then went up and down. Everything is so beautiful from the top,” he said.]




I admit it's always fun having experiences like this, but it's usually considered gauche to brag about it to the newspapers the next day.


5 posted on 06/08/2006 8:59:46 PM PDT by spinestein (The Democratic Party is the reason I vote for Republicans.)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

LOL...I was making reference to Mel Brooks in "History of the World"...but I know what you mean!


6 posted on 06/08/2006 9:12:04 PM PDT by rlmorel ("Innocence seldom utters outraged shrieks. Guilt does." Whittaker Chambers)
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To: spinestein

:-)

ROTFLOL!


7 posted on 06/08/2006 9:23:24 PM PDT by saalebhosdike (Bhains ki taang...)
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Comment #8 Removed by Moderator

To: sukhoi-30mki

The Flanker, the only Russian plane with a positive combat record, 2-0, (ironically two Mig-29s) and the only recent Russian fighter with kills. About time the Indians got rid of their POS Migs. Of course they may buy hornets soon.


9 posted on 06/08/2006 10:03:22 PM PDT by gafusa
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To: gafusa

Umm an Indian Mig-21 did shoot down a Pakistani Atlantique MPA in 1999 & the 21 does have a decent combat record keeping in mind its limitations.Nyway,I get ur point...though throwing out all the Migs will create a huge logistical gap.Upgrading the 27s & 29s seems to be sensible & thats what the IAF is doing.The SuperHornet looks very likely,unless the Indo-US N-deal fails which will then open the gates for the French Rafale or EF-2000,along with probably a few Russian Mig-35s.


10 posted on 06/08/2006 10:30:09 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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Comment #11 Removed by Moderator

To: rlmorel

You're going to have to invite half of FreeRepublic.com to that little party!


12 posted on 06/09/2006 5:20:29 AM PDT by Tallguy (When it's a bet between reality and delusion, bet on reality -- Mark Steyn)
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To: Tallguy

Only on Fridays...for the pyro in all of us!


13 posted on 06/09/2006 6:59:25 AM PDT by rlmorel ("Innocence seldom utters outraged shrieks. Guilt does." Whittaker Chambers)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

The Mig-21 actually has decent number of kills, as well has a huge number of losses, but I do not consider it recent, it is from the 60s. Still I agree, it was a solid enough machine in its time, although now it is rather dated. I believe it is the last MIG to have any kills, and really was the end of the MIGs, things have gone down hill fast since then. I agree you cannot get rid of them all right now, but I do not think the IAF should put too much money in them. Even Russia is puling MIGs from service, replacing them with Flankers where possible. Especially with the "teen series" and flankers out there, MIGs just are not competitive anymore, the 29 has a 0-12 record, it has proved worthless against falcons, eagles and flankers. I think India should go with the new Hornet as it is better priced and more versatile then the Rafale and Eurofighter, and it is very doubtful the 35 will be produced at all, the program has been plagued by problems, and most funding has been cut. And its capabilities are dubious at best.


14 posted on 06/09/2006 10:48:49 AM PDT by gafusa
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To: sukhoi-30mki

This president, to his credit, is a far cry from Mohandas Gandhi's technology-loathing primitivism; he embraces technology and personally enjoys it -- apparently also encouraging innovation among India's youth. A man like that will probably not interfere to thwart India's rapid Westernization and technological progress.

I am
G. Stolyarov II
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15 posted on 06/09/2006 9:49:19 PM PDT by G. Stolyarov II (http://rationalargumentator.com)
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To: gafusa; sukhoi-30mki

"the 29 has a 0-12 record, it has proved worthless against falcons, eagles and flankers."

That ratio would change drastically if only Pakistani F-16s ever took on Indian Mig 29s (it almost did in Kargil and we know what happened). PAF is buying more F-16Cs and Indian Navy is buying the modified Mig 29Ks. The Mig 29s are not inferior jets compared to F-16s, what has held back the Mig-29 is the way in which most Arab/Eastern block countries deployed and used their aerial assets and the poor level of pilot training and technological modification and upgradation. This wont be the case with the IAF.


16 posted on 06/10/2006 2:23:44 AM PDT by Gengis Khan
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To: gafusa; Gengis Khan

I back that up with Gengis.The 29s operated by former East bloc nationslike (east) Germany,Slovakia have performed more than creditably in NATO exercises against Hornets & F-16s.Upgrade a 29 with new radars,better situational awareness & pilots,it's a very competent system as proved several exercises & during the Kargil war of 1999,when Indian fulcrums locked up & chased away Pakistani F-16s.


17 posted on 06/10/2006 7:46:35 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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