Only four Indians are definitively known to have been military aviators in World War One. They blazed a remarkable trail for the six hundred odd who took up that occupation in World War Two (including at least one Bollywood actor), and the three thousand-odd who serve in that role in India today.
On 8th March 1967, a young Flying Officer, with less than four years of service, found himself in a predicament over the skies of northern India when the aircraft's main gear did not deploy correctly. Then Fg Offr David "Dadoo" Subaiya was faced with the choice of crash landing or trusting the SNCASO ejection seat of his Mystere IVa fighter bomber. This is his story in Video!
Updated 03 February 2018: We regret to inform that Wg Cdr A Philipos passed away in Bengaluru on 31st January 2018. He was 101 years old. Original: Wg Cdr A Phillipos 3033 GD(P) was commissioned as an Accounts Branch Officer in 1944. He recently turned 100 years old and was felicitated by the Air Force Records Office in Bangalore. In this short article, he writes about his introduction to service life under the British.
Wg Cdr A K "Lui" Gupta, 13072 F(P) joined the caterpillar club on his very second solo flight in a Vampire Jet fighter. This is the story of possibly the last bailout from a Vampire.
Reviewed by Jagan Pillarisetti
Every history starts with the words "The Indian Air Force was officially established by the Indian Air Force Act as notified in the Gazette of India dated 8th October 1932...", but has anyone actually seen the IAF Act of 1932 that was passed by the Indian Legislature in April 1932? To which the Governor General of India gave his assent on 8th April 1932? .. the same act which was subsequently published in the Gazette on 8th October?
Well here it is --- as it was originally introduced and later passed by the Legislature into the "Indian Air Force Act, 1932"
Captain (Ex Flt Lt) Premananda Goswami, the only Auxillary Air Force Officer to be decorated in war, narrates some of his war time experiences in operating the Mi-4 gun ships in Kashmir in 1965
Commemorating another 'Sabre Slayer' - then Flying Officer P S Pingale, who had to eject after being shot down on September 6th, took to the air ten days later and extracted his pound of flesh - by shooting down a PAF Sabre. During this short but fierce encounter, Pingale also went head to head in air combat with the Pakistani ace M M Alam.
On September 13th, 50 years back the greatest bomber operation against Pakistan was launched by the Indian Air Force. It had all the drama and melodrama, climax and anti-climax, it was a yes, yes, no, no and then YES! It was the operation with the greatest precision on the part of the Indian Air Force, a top-secret mission, known to very few on the top--the AOC-in-C of the Western Air Command, the then CAS (now Marshal of the Indian Air Force) and a few staff officers working on the planning and execution of the mission. These were the 4th and 5th Operational Missions for Gp Capt Amrik Ahluwalia, who narrated the story in Chapter 16 of his book Airborne to Chairborne. The article shares both his thoughts and the actual planning and execution of the mission and the top secrecy from India and a great surprise attack on Pakistan--never, ever, expected by them even in their dreams.
Courtesy of the HAL sponsored "Gnat Brotherhood" film, this short video clip features rare war time footage of several IAF heroes - involved in Air Combats or in daring evasions.
There was one aircrew in the Indian Air Force who could fly anywhere into Pakistan as they pleased at any time of the day! Whether it was Skardu or Karachi or Quetta, they would foray deep into Pakistan during day and come back with valuable intel and imagery. That aircraft crew was led by then Squadron Leader 'Jaggi Nath' MVC and Bar.