2017 leading by example: India AF chief flies very old Mig21

[Stratofreighter]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 503982.cms


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJdUTtdjGDw

Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa Flies Mig- 21 Type-96 Fighter Jet In A Solo Sortie

Gepubliceerd op 12 jan. 2017

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa is on a visit to Air Force Station, Utarlai from 12 to 14 January 2017.
This is his first visit to a forward operational base as the Chief of the Air Staff.

The Air Chief Marshal flew MiG-21 Type-96 aircraft solo,
which is the oldest fighter fleet in the IAF inventory.

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa flew the same type of aircraft during Kargil Operations and carried out many night strike missions in the mountainous terrain. He was awarded Yudh Sewa Medal for these gallant acts.

He is visiting the forward air base in the western sector to assess operational readiness and review the morale of the personnel stationed there.

[Wildpicture]

That is indeed leadership by example.

I read the article and was surprised by the high crash rate:
" Of the design vintage of the 1960s, the MiG-21's stellar track-record was marred with a high crash rate in later years. Of the 872 MiG-21s progressively inducted by IAF, almost 400 have crashed since 1971-72, killing over 180 pilots and 40 civilians. "
Almost half of the crashed. No wonder the pilots are looking forward to a replacement....

[Gerard]

Don't blame it on the aircraft. If a pilot suffers from a curry-afterburner, it is difficult to concentrate on flying.