| Details : | Group Captain Chakalayil Rajappa Mohan (18517) Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as an engineer in the Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics) Branch on 28 Aug 86. He has held important appointments as Senior Engineering Officer in a MiG 21 Sqn and Senior Engineer (Electrical) at Air Force Station Tezpur. He is a Flight Test Engineer and has also been an instructor at the IAF Test Pilots' School. He was the Engineering Team Leader and Officer In Charge of Design & Development of Avionics Systems as well as Maintenance Aspects with the IAF Hawk Project Team in the United Kingdom during the induction of the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft. Group Captain Mohan has been the Chief Engineering Officer at Air Force Station Bidar since 27 Apr 09. Having been associated with the Hawk aircraft even prior to its induction in the IAF, he is exceptionally knowledgeable about the intricacies of maintenance and provisioning of the system. He has used this knowledge in an extremely meticulous, committed and determined manner to ensure that the aircraft, and its proper maintenance, have been correctly introduced into the IAF. He has been instrumental in ensuring that the maintenance practices and procedures put in place have been of the highest order, maximizing aircraft availability for training tasks, as well as enhancing flight safety. He has used his intricate knowledge of contractual terms and operating mechanisms of the foreign vendor of the Hawk platform to full measure in ensuring that the· vendor provides all relevant equipment and transfers maximum expertise to enable quicker self-sufficiency in routine operations of the Hawk fleet. He has utilised his own capabilities as a Flight Test Engineer to the hilt in finding maintenance solutions to critical issues that are commonly faced during the induction of new high-technology platforms It is largely due to his personal drive and commitment that the IAF Hawk fleet is achieving its training related milestones efficiently and safely. Group Captain Mohan has ensured that the technical documentation, maintenance infrastructure and ground operating procedures of the Hawk aircraft have been correctly adapted and tailored to suit IAF operating methodologies. He has ensured that the maximum techno-logistical expertise has been imbibed from the foreign vendor of the platform, which will go a long way in the successful exploitation of the fleet for training and operational roles for a long time. For distinguished service of high order, Hon'ble President is pleased to award 'Vishisht Seva Medal' to Group Captain Chakalayil Rajappa Mohan. |
