<p>During her 30-minute sortie from the Lohegaon base in Pune on November 25, the supreme commander of the armed forces will be flown just short of the sound speed — 0.9 Mach to be exact — so that the president feels no “discomfort”.<br /><br />Patil will turn 75 on December 19. And her decision to fly in Su-30 MKI follows her predecessor A P J Abdul Kalam’s sortie in a Su-30 MKI in 2006 at the ripe age of 75. <br />“It (flying in a Su-30 MKI) was the president’s own desire, which is an order for us,” said IAF vice chief P K Barbora here on Tuesday. <br /><br />“Keeping her age in mind, we won’t do any complicated manoeuvres. We don’t visualise any discomfort and are extremely proud to fly the president,” he said.<br /><br />The flying age of fighter pilots in combat missions typically does not go beyond 40-45, whereas it can be a few years more in non-combat operations. <br /><br />Wing Commander S Sajan, commanding officer of 30-squadron will fly Rhino 1 — the call sign of the presidential fighter after the squadron’s crest in accordance with an IAF tradition — at an elevation of 10,000-20,000 ft. He will cruise at a subsonic speed and will not cross the sound barrier. A detailed medical checkup proves that despite her age, the president can fly in a fighter. One more round of medical checkup will be done before the flight. <br /><br />Asked why the president would be flown in Su-30 MKI and not in the IAF workhorse, MiG-21 Bison, Barbora said the IAF would project its latest capabilities to the supreme commander. <br /><br />A more practical reason is that the twin-seat trainer versions of MiG-21 Bisons are old MiG-21s that are not upgraded. The armed forces will not risk it.<br /><br />However, six years ago, former defence minister George Fernandes flew in a MiG-21 to boost the IAF morale when these planes earned the infamous sobriquet of “flying coffins” due to frequent accidents. <br /></p>
<p>During her 30-minute sortie from the Lohegaon base in Pune on November 25, the supreme commander of the armed forces will be flown just short of the sound speed — 0.9 Mach to be exact — so that the president feels no “discomfort”.<br /><br />Patil will turn 75 on December 19. And her decision to fly in Su-30 MKI follows her predecessor A P J Abdul Kalam’s sortie in a Su-30 MKI in 2006 at the ripe age of 75. <br />“It (flying in a Su-30 MKI) was the president’s own desire, which is an order for us,” said IAF vice chief P K Barbora here on Tuesday. <br /><br />“Keeping her age in mind, we won’t do any complicated manoeuvres. We don’t visualise any discomfort and are extremely proud to fly the president,” he said.<br /><br />The flying age of fighter pilots in combat missions typically does not go beyond 40-45, whereas it can be a few years more in non-combat operations. <br /><br />Wing Commander S Sajan, commanding officer of 30-squadron will fly Rhino 1 — the call sign of the presidential fighter after the squadron’s crest in accordance with an IAF tradition — at an elevation of 10,000-20,000 ft. He will cruise at a subsonic speed and will not cross the sound barrier. A detailed medical checkup proves that despite her age, the president can fly in a fighter. One more round of medical checkup will be done before the flight. <br /><br />Asked why the president would be flown in Su-30 MKI and not in the IAF workhorse, MiG-21 Bison, Barbora said the IAF would project its latest capabilities to the supreme commander. <br /><br />A more practical reason is that the twin-seat trainer versions of MiG-21 Bisons are old MiG-21s that are not upgraded. The armed forces will not risk it.<br /><br />However, six years ago, former defence minister George Fernandes flew in a MiG-21 to boost the IAF morale when these planes earned the infamous sobriquet of “flying coffins” due to frequent accidents. <br /></p>
