Wing Commander Abhinandan who downed Pak F16, flies MiG-21 with Air Chief Dhanoa
New Delhi: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on Monday flew a sortie on a MiG-21 fighter aircraft along with Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa.
#WATCH Pathankot: IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa and Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman moving towards the MiG-21 before their sortie earlier today. #Punjab pic.twitter.com/Rz9KJVJVWi
— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2019
#WATCH IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa flew a sortie with Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman at Air Force Station Pathankot today in a MiG-21 trainer. It’s the last sortie flown by IAF Chief in a fighter aircraft before retirement.They took off around 1130 hrs for a 30 min sortie. pic.twitter.com/retSoI3EVl
— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2019
“The sortie was flown from the Pathankot air base in Punjab. Abhinandan had been cleared for flying last month following a thorough medical check-up,” a senior IAF officer told IANS.
According to IAF sources, the sortie lasted for around half-an-hour and was conducted on a trainer MiG-21 aircraft.
Enduring image of all time to come. Air Chief Dhanoa and WgCdr Abhinandan madden flight ✈️ after return of the hero #AbhinandanVarthaman pic.twitter.com/biLu1dAAKO
— Manju 2.0? ?? (@Manju_DeshBhakt) September 2, 2019
Abhinandan Varthaman started flying the MiG-21 in August after he was declared medically fit from injuries he sustained while ejecting from a fighter jet that was hit by a Pakistani missile on February 27. He had been barred from flying after February 27 owing to injuries sustained during the incident in which he had landed across the border on the Pakistani side.
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The Institute of Aerospace Medicine had declared Abhinandan medically fit in August.
For the gallantry displayed by Varthaman in the face of enemy fire during the dogfight with a Pakistani F-16 on February 27, he was awarded with the Vir Chakra on Independence Day this year.
Published on: Sep 2, 2019 at 12:55 IST
(The headline of the story has been modified by EP Web Desk)
IANS
