Wing Commander Gurdip Singh has commanded three Helicopter Units since Dec 77. He is a Qualified Flying Instructor with current A/Master Green category and has logged over 5400 hours of accident free flying on single engine aircraft which includes approximately 3000 hours of instructional on HT-2, Mi-4 and Chetak. He is also experienced on Anti-Tank Guided Missile and qualified gliding instructor having approximately 700 launches. His high altitude helicopter flying experience includes flying in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Bhutan, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. He has also undertaken extensive flying in the Rajasthan desert. During his present tenure as Commanding Officer of a Helicopter Unit, the unit has flown a total of 6,500 hours giving a high monthly utilisation rate of over 55 hours per helicopter. During the past 21 months in this unit he has been the only Qualified Flying Instructor available and has flown approximately1000 hours and has been responsible for training to fully operational stage and categorisation of 25 pilots.

Wg Cdr Gurdip Singh also has to his credit a number of mercy missions which required skill of a high order. Some of these are:• Search followed by Evacuation of two members of Kamet expedition from 16,000 feet altitude on 10th October 1983.• Extensive search of Hungarian expedition given up as lost and dropping of vital supplies at an altitude of over 19,000 feet on 29th October 1983.• Immediate food supply drop to train passengers stranded after flash floods near Tikona on 12 Sep 83. • Recovery of MiG-21 pilot after ejection 20 Kilometers from the airfield in a record time of 25 minutes.

An example of the officer's administrative and professional skill is given by the fact that under his Command two Helicopter Units - one has been adjudged the best Helicopter Unit in WAC in 1979-80 and the other in Central Air Command in 1983-84.

The achievements which the officer has to his credit have resulted from a high sense of maturity, dedication to duty and sustained long hours of work under trying conditions. For his overall performance, in particular his achievements as Commanding Officer, the President is pleased to award Vayu Seva Medal to Wing Commander Gurdip Singh.