Details : | Wing Commander Mohan Gupta (18562) Flying (Pilot) was commissioned on 06 Dec 1986 in the IAF He is posted as a Chief Operations Officer at Air Force Station Car Nicobar with effect from 23 Jun 03.On 08 Oct 03, at 0925 h, he received a message that the Adventure Expedition at the Galathea river in the Great Nicobar Island was more than 18 hours overdue. Reacting to an emergent situation he immediately tasked the Base Helicopter Unit to launch the rescue helicopter. Ensuring no delay, the helicopter was airborne within thirty minutes of the receipt of the message with Wg Cdr Gupta as captain. On landing at Campbell Bay, even though limited details of the expedition were available with the local Detachment Commander, he and his crew worked out the possible route taken by the expedition members. He then took off for the rescue with emergency rations and medical supplies. He ensured that a proper briefing was carried out for effective and optimum crew utilisation.The entire route was in a hilly terrain with dense foliage, which made ground observation very difficult. Through initially no results were achieved he persisted with the search, effectively utilizing each member of his crew to finally spot the team twelve kilometers from their planned RV point. The team was in a deep narrow valley with tall trees ranging from 25 to 100 meters height on either side. This precluded a landing. He assessed the situation and decided to winch up the personnel. Variable winds and limited tip clearance of only five to ten meters made the task extremely demanding and challenging. Displaying a very high level of flying accuracy, concentration and crew resource management in this environment, all the fifteen members were successfully winched up. They were provided initial nourishment and brought back safely.For his exceptional devotion to duty and professional acumen in executing the rescue mission, the Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal to Wing Commander Mohan Gupta. |