Meet the Indian billionaire who flew Rafale fighter jet, it's not Ratan Tata or Gautam Singhania

Some Indian business tycoons are known for their admiration for planes and love for flying. Legendary industrialist Ratan Tata is one such tycoon who got the opportunity to fly a fighter jet. Another one is flamboyant businessman Gautam Singhania. But while the two did get a taste of lightning fast speed in fighter planes, they did not fly the Dassault Rafale jet, which is currently the ace in Indian Air Force’s combat fleet.

Ratan Tata was arguably the first Indian to fly US made F-16 Falcon fighter jet. Similarly, Gautam Singhania was among the first Indian civilians to get to fly the legendary IAF jet Sukhoi Su-27. But the tag for flying the Rafale jet goes to Vikas Oberoi, the Mumbai-based property magnate. 

Oberoi is a trained pilot who found his love for flying early in life. He has a pilot's licence and a small fourseater personal aircraft, a Cirrus SR22T, that he flies himself. However, Oberoi got the chance of a lifetime when he flew the Rafale jet.

Oberoi got the opportunity to fly the Rafale jet back in 2015 at the time of the Bangalore Air Show. To fly the fighter jet, Oberoi had to attain permissions from both the Indian and French governments, as well as undergo intense fitness tests, he had revealed to ET Panache at the time. 

"Flying a Rafale is an experience that money can't buy" says Vikas Oberoi http://t.co/FrT9KbC6tf via @idrwalerts pic.twitter.com/0wUeQPpJJk

— Stéphane Fort (@Stephane_Fort) May 15, 2015

While he often flies solo in his personal plane, Oberoi was accompanied by a French Air Force pilot on the Rafale flight. They flew for around half an hour and went faster than the speed of sound. They also did aerobatic manouvers like barrel rolls, spins and loops. 

Oberoi commands a net worth of over Rs 29000 crore ($3.5 billion) as the Chairman and Managing Director of Oberoi Realty Ltd. He is an alumnus of the Mumbai University and the Harvard Business School in the US. Oberoi is married to former Bollywood actress Gayatri Joshi.