Details : | Group Captain Vembu Satyamurthy (20511) was commissioned in the Indian Air Force as a transport pilot in the flying branch on 16 Dec 89. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor with over 4500 hours of accident free hours. He was commended by the Chief of the Air Staff on 26 Jan 98. Presently. he is the Commanding officer of an AN-32 Squadron wef 30 Nov 11. During his tenure as Station Flight Safety & Inspection Officer of 44 Wg. the documentation of Flight Safety Section was graded 'Exceptional' by Directorate of Air Staff Inspection. He was the Chief Flying Instructor of HS-748 ac at Fixed Wing Training Flight and later commanded the Communication Flight of HQ Training Command. As Joint Director Operations (Transport) at Air HQ. he revised the Air Staff Orders for the Transport fleet and drew out a detailed plan for training on transport aircraft. As Commanding Officer of Air Force Institute of Nuclear Biological Chemical Protection, he pioneered the revision of the 'Chemical, Biological. Radiological and Nuclear Defence Doctrine of the IAF. Gp Capt Satyamurthy's supervision in achieving and maintaining highest safety standards has enabled the Sqn to effectively execute all the Op tasks given by the HQ South Western Air Command Air HQ. His meticulous planning and utilization of resources is evident by the fact that the Sqn achieved a record flying of 383 hours in Feb 13 during Ex-Iron Fist. Also, under his command, the unit created history by achieving 100% serviceability on an ageing fleet like HS-748 on 20 Mar 13. 11 Sqn was re- designated as the Type Training Sqn for HS-748 in 2011 Rising to the occasion, he diligently planned and marshalled the available resources to conduct conversion courses while simultaneously ensuring op role training of the unit aircrew. His foresight. innovativeness and the ability to direct while leading from the front, has ensured that the courses were completed well ahead of schedule. His ability to motivate individuals to perform optimally has resulted in an improved categorisation status of the Sqn aircrew. During one of the training sorties with an ab-initio pilot. he experienced an engine failure during a roller take off. With his keen sense of observation, situational awareness and clarity in handling this emergency during a critical phase of flight, he was able to take all actions correctly and bring the aircraft to a stop without any damage. For exceptional devotion to duty, Hon'ble President is pleased to award Vayu Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty) to Group Captain Vembu Satyamurthy. |