Details : | Wg Cdr Bhopindra Singh, an experienced test pilot, is now in command of a Jet Fighter Squadron. He was entrusted with the complicated and exacting task of high altitude trials on the Gnat airraft. The task was hazardous in the absence of suitable data on which the bhaviour of the aircraft could be pre-assessed at high altitudes. Despite this handicap, Wg Cdr Singh, wih courage and professional skill, carried out the trials from one of the highest airfields located in treacherous mountainous terrain. The data collected as a result of the trials will have far reaching effect on the concept and future conduct of Fighter operations in the western sector. The operation of a Jet fighter from an airfield at a high altitude in Ladakh is a land mark in the history of the Indian Air Force. Wg Cdr Bhupinder Singh displayed courage and a high degree of prefessional skill in the best traditions of the Indian Air Force |