Service No & Branch | 1792 F(P) (Orig: GD(O)) | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||
Date of Birth: 13 Jul 1922 | Commissioned: 19 Jan 1942 | Course: 7 OBS Course | |||||||||||||||||
Service End: | Retired on 01 Apr 1976 Released to HAL Died on 22 Jan 2012 (90 Years age) | Nick Name : Dusty | |||||||||||||||||
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Google the Bharat Rakshak Website for : "S J Dastur" |
![]() Gp Capt |
Dates | Rank | Unit | Location | Appointment | Photo |
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- 22 Apr 1942 | Plt Offr | RAF Peshawar | |||
22 Apr 1942 - 16 Sep 1942 | Plt Offr | No.2 Squadron | Poona | Squadron Pilot Fm RAF Pesh To 6CDF | |
21 Sep 1942 - 28 Nov 1942 | Plt Offr | No.6 Flight (Coastal Defence) | Drigh Road | Obs Fm 2 Sqn To RAF Asansol | |
01 Mar 1943 - 06 Nov 1944 | Plt Offr | No.8 Squadron | Peshawar | Obs To Nav Course Poona | |
01 Jan 1949 - 01 Jan 1952 | Wg Cdr | Embassay of India, UK | UK | Asst Air Advisor | |
10 Oct 1952 - 03 Oct 1954 | Wg Cdr | 1 Wing | Srinagar | Station Commander | |
25 Jul 1955 - 30 Jul 1957 | Wg Cdr | Operational Command | Delhi | Air-I | |
14 Oct 1957 - 26 May 1958 | Wg Cdr | Defence Services Staff College | Wellington | Directing Staff | |
27 May 1958 - 31 May 1960 | Gp Capt | Defence Services Staff College | Wellington | Chief Instructor (Air) | |
01 Jun 1960 - 10 Dec 1962 | Gp Capt | 2 Wing | Lohegaon (Pune) | Station Commander | |
01 Jan 1963 - 01 Jan 1967 | Air Cmde | Air Head Quarters | Delhi | Director (Guided Weapons) | |
01 Jan 1968 - 31 Dec 1968 | Air Cmde | Imperial Defence College | London, UK | Staff Course | |
12 Feb 1969 - 18 Jul 1970 | Air Cmde | Western Air Command | Delhi | Air-I | |
19 Jul 1970 - 01 Dec 1970 | AVM | Air Operations, Air HQ | Delhi | Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Operations | |
07 Oct 1970 - | AVM | Bharat Dynamics Ltd | Delhi | ||
01 Dec 1970 - 30 Sep 1973 | AVM | Bharat Dynamics | Bangalore | Managing Director | |
12 Nov 1973 - 27 Jun 1974 | Air Marshal | PSO: Operations, Air HQ | Delhi | Deputy Chief of Air Staff | |
01 Jul 1974 - 31 Dec 1974 | Air Marshal | HAL | Bangalore | Vice Chairman | |
01 Jan 1975 - 01 Apr 1976 | Air Marshal | HAL | Bangalore | Chairman | |
11 Jun 1976 - | No.5 Squadron | Commodore Commandant | |||
Incomplete Information? Additions? Corrections? Please download Template File and follow instructions. |
Ati Vishist Seva Medal | ||||
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Air Cmde | Sarosh Jehangir Dastur | 1792 F(P) | Award Date 26 Jan 1969 | Announced 26 Jan 1969 |
Details : | Air Commodore Sarosh Jahangir Dastur was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in 1942. He saw active service during World War II. He attended Defence Services Staff College Course in 1954-55, and Imperial Defence College Course in 1968. He has held various staff and command appointments. As Officer Commanding of an Air Force Station during 1952-54, he distinguished himself by tackling and solving several intricate administrative problems of the unit. Later, as Chief Instructor in the Air Wing of the Defence Services Staff College, he brought about improvements in methods and syllabus and made the training of Air Wing Officers purposeful. During the Goa operations, as Officer Commanding, Air Force Station, Poona, he was responsible for organising the Air Task Force in his sector. He activated additional early warning stations from the meagre resources at his command. As Director of Guided Weapons at Air Headquarters his work was of a very high order. | |||
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Reference : GoI19690126 |
Remarks: Obituary Notice (Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava) Note added: 2012-01-24 |
May his soul rest in eternal peace. May his grieving family overcome grief at this loss and recall with pride his good deeds, particularly after his formal retirement. These were in the true tradition of the Parsi community in India. A long life may not be full enough but a full life is long enough. Air Marshal Dastur had the best of both and left behind some wonderful memories and achievements.
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Remarks: by Air Marshal Satish Inamdar Note added: 2012-01-25 |
I grieve for this very fine and percipient man. RIP! I was on the rolls of HAL, on deputation, flight testing at HAL (ND), Ozar, in 1974-77, when I first met Air Mshl Dastur. The neighbouring 11 BRD had just been set up to overhaul Su-7s but had no TPs on their strength to flight test and clear the ac as they came out. There was much protracted correspondence between 11 BRD, HAL (ND), HQ MC, HAL HO & Air HQ to allow such HAL TPs at Ozar as were qualified on the Su-7 to undertake the job till a TP or two could be posted to the BRD; there was nil forward movement in the matter. It was Chairman Air Mshl Dastur, on a day's visit to Ozar, who, on being told of the problem by W/C P Ashoka, CTP, and G/C DS Misra, the BRD Boss, took just ten minutes to get the picture. He picked up the phone, spoke to the DCAS (A/M Zaheer), the VCAS (A/M Dhatigara, I think) and the AOC-in-C MC (A/M Pandit, I think), got a decision and told GM HAL Ozar & G/C DS Misra, the BRD Boss, to quickly sort out the nettlesome pilot insurance cover issue locally and get on with the flight testing. He said he wanted to see the first overhauled Sukhoi flight tested within a week! Air Mshl Pandit later called the BRD Boss and told him the same thing. After two dual checks on a Su trainer that was sent to Ozar to drop a ferry pilot, followed by two solo trips on a fighter that had just been flown in with a few hours remaining, I did get airborne for a flight test before the week was out and cleared the first India overhauled Su-7 ac after three flights! There was much jubilation in the BRD; it was also one of my few first hand experiences of high level decision making in the fast track, after a matter was kept unresolved by red tape/ indecision at lower levels, shuttling up & down, for 7 months! His taking me along on an HAL delegation visit to the Farnborough air show the next summer, was a high water mark of my 3-year stint in HAL! 'Dastur', like many other Parsee last names, denotes a profession/ occupation, meaning a priest at the Agyari, the fire temple, I think. Never met him, after I left HAL in 1977. As I said at the outset, I grieve for him. |