PV Sindhu takes flight in Tejas at Bengaluru air show
Photo tweeted by IAF
Photo tweeted by IAF
Bengaluru | India’s ace badminton player P.V. Sindhu on Saturday flew in homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas at the Aero India air show being held in Bengaluru.
“The flight was a wonderful experience. The captain performed various maneouvers, including a loop,” Sindhu told the media after the sortie which lasted for about 40 minutes.
The combat jet’s trainer version was piloted by Group Captain Siddharth Singh, while Sindhu was the co-pilot in the tandem-seater cockpit.
Sindhu is the first woman to fly in a Tejas aircraft.
Tejas, built by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), is a single engine multirole light fighter. The aircraft received its final operational clearance (FOC) on Wednesday from military aviation regulator Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (Cemilac) for induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a weaponised fighter jet in its operational fleet.
The homegrown aircraft was flown by the Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat on Thursday, who hailed it as a wonderful aircraft.
Women’s Day, observed on Saturday at the expo, showcased women’s achievements in the aerospace sector.
Updated on: Feb 23, 2019 at 15:07 IST
By EP Web Desk
(With inputs from IANS)
