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The Pushpaka's last flight - The untold story of 4th Nov 1977

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Category: The Last Quarter: 1972-99
Last Updated: Sunday, 11 March 2018 01:58
Written by Wg Cdr P K Raveendran SC
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 Wg Cdr P K Raveendran was a young under-trainee flight engineer on a VIP flight to Jorhat in November 1977 when tragedy struck. The miraculous survival story of the Prime Minister of India, Shri Morarji Desai was tempered by the tragic loss of the Flight Crew.  The author recollects the events surrounding the flight, the crash and subsequent rescue effort - and as a post script - his journey to the crash site forty years later!.

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First MiG-23BN fighter landing at Leh

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Category: The Siachen Glacier
Last Updated: Sunday, 23 June 2019 03:57
Written by Air Marshal A D Joshi PVSM VM M-in-D
Hits: 13010

With the escalation of the Siachen operations in 1984, Contingency plans were developed to utilise high performance fighter aircraft from Leh airfield as and when needed.  Air Marshal A D Joshi narrates the first landing of the MiG-23BN at Leh airport - The planning and training for this event was no simple matter, as this narration will make it evident.

Article updated with two new photos!

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Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh (1919-2017)

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Category: Tributes
Last Updated: Sunday, 17 September 2017 04:49
Written by Webmaster
Hits: 15613

Its an end of an era - Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, the only five star rank officer in the IAF, a legendary and much beloved name in the Air Force Fraternity is no more. He was the Air Chief during the critical 1965 India-Pakistan war at a young age of 46.  He passed away yesterday (16th September 2017) in New Delhi.  A statement from the Ministry of Defence said he was admitted to the hospital on Saturday morning following a cardiac arrest, and breathed his last at 7.47 PM.  Prior to his demise he was one of the last surviving officers of the IAF who had trained at RAF Cranwell, and also one of the last surviving DFC awardees of the IAF. 

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Flying with the Legend - Air Commodore R S Benegal

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Category: The Bangladesh War 1971
Last Updated: Tuesday, 15 August 2017 04:24
Written by Air Marshal G C S Rajwar (Retd)
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Air Marshal G C S Rajwar , commissioned in 1963 as part of the 26th Navigator Course, is a veteran of two wars. He was the navigator to the CO of No.106 Squadron in the 1971 war, then Wg Cdr R S Benegal.  He wrote this piece about his missions in the war as an "Afterword" for the autobiographical book by late Air Commodore R S Benegal - Burma to Japan with the Azad Hind .  

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Hunting Harvards in the Countryside

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Category: Jets and Growth 1948-64
Last Updated: Monday, 06 March 2017 04:13
Written by Sqn Ldr B N Kesavachandran (Retd)
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In the 1950s it was not uncommon for IAF aircraft to undertake "force landings" in the country side. Squadron Leader Kesavachandran narrates the story of an 'expedition' to document the evidence for a Court of Inquiry - much before the advent of GPS,  handheld cameras, digitial media and the social media.

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The sinking of N.R.P.Vega - a first person narrative

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Category: Liberation of Goa 1961
Last Updated: Monday, 27 February 2017 13:11
Written by Air Marshal P.M.Ramachandran PVSM AVSM SC VM.
Hits: 10585

The episode of blowing up at sea of a Portuguese Patrol Boat laden with explosives off Diu by IAF on 18 Dec 1961. First person account of the sinking of NRP Vega during the Diu Operations in 1961. Air Marshal P M Ramachandran, PVSM AVSM SC VM narrates his story of that eventful sortie from 18th December 1961.

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Flt Lt Lawrence Frederic Pereira, VrC

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Category: The Bangladesh War 1971
Last Updated: Saturday, 18 February 2017 15:17
Written by Webmaster
Hits: 12547

 Lawrence Frederic Pereira 8678 F(P)  was a Forward Air Controller with an Armoured Brigade in the Shakargarh Sector during the 1971 War.  He lost his life in an enemy air attack and today lies at rest in Jalandhar.

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Hoshang Patel (1921-2017)

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Category: Tributes
Last Updated: Thursday, 26 January 2017 05:16
Written by Obituary
Hits: 6265

With a heavy heart, we learnt about the passing away of Wing Commander Hoshang Patel of Bombay.  He passed away today 25th January 2017, at the age of 96.  A WW2 veteran airman and pilot who served in two tours in Burma, one of the few to do it as both an erk as well as a pilot.  Hoshang Sir was the one who gave the spark to the fire of WW2 research that this website has carried out over the years.

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