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SharePune: Seventy-four-year-old president Pratibha Devisingh Patil, the supreme commander of the Indian defence forces, made history at the Indian Air Force (IAF) Lohegaon airbase when she became the oldest lady head of a nation to fly a supersonic combat aircraft. Patil's 30-minute sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI bomber on Wednesday was commanded by Wing Commander S Sajan.
The aircraft flew at an altitude of 10,000 feet at a speed of around 800 kmph, but did not achieve the supersonic levels of around 1,100 kmph.
Dressed in green G-suit (gravitational suit) with her precise specifications, Patil wore an integrated helmet and took seat in the rear portion of the cockpit. The fighter took off after her pre-flight medical check-ups and a briefing by Sajan, who flew the aircraft. Patil has followed the footsteps of her predecessor, APJ Abdul Kalam, who, on June 8, 2006 became the first Indian president to have undertaken a 30-minute sortie in the Su-30 MKI.
"It was an exhilarating experience to fly in Su-30," was how the president described her experience. "I suddenly felt that I was leaping forward as the aircraft took off. And within moments, the aircraft soared high in the skies."
After landing half-an-hour later, a beaming president raised her hand in a victorious "thumb's up" and waved out to the media.
As she stepped out of the aircraft, Patil patted Sajan, the commanding officer of Rhinos--No 30 Squadron Air Force--and shook hands with the ground staff at the airbase.
She said the purpose of her adventure was to understand the new techniques used in fighter aircraft and how effectively the pilots operate them. "I also wanted to reassure the defence forces that the entire nation is behind them. And after my flight, I can say that the nation is safe in the hands of our forces," she said.
The president attributed her high fitness levels to regular yoga and treadmill exercises. "I shaped up according to the instructions given to me," she said, adding that she was "excited and confident from the very beginning."
Patil said that at Rajgurunagar, she suddenly saw two other Su 30s flying side by side. She excitedly quizzed Sajan about the pilots of those two fighter jets. The three fighter jets proceeded in a 'trident' formation before returning to the airbase.
"She looked extremely confident during the entire sortie. She was comfortable all though the sortie and I was explaining the technicalities of the jet fighter while we flew," Sajan said. While the manoeuvres were restricted to general turns, Patil did some minor controlling during the flight. Air Chief Marshal, PV Naik, Air officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Air Command, Air Marshal PS Bhangu were among those who witnessed the event.
