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All set for Prez?s Sukhoi sortie - Pune - City - The Times of India
PUNE: President Pratibha Patil is all set to fly into the record books on Wednesday by becoming the worlds first woman president ever to take to the skies in a fighter aircraft. She will fly in the Indian Air Forces (IAF) most potent multi-role combat aircraft, the Sukhoi-30 MKI, from the Lohegaon air base here.
This is the second time in the last four years that the Lohegaon base will see the commander-in-chief of the Indian armed forces flying in a Su-30 MKI aircraft. On June 8, 2006, then President A P J Abdul Kalam had taken a 30-minute sortie in the Su-30 MKI, an exercise that was positioned as a familiarisation flight as well as an act of motivating youngsters to join the armed forces.
The IAF has chalked out a special rectangular pattern of navigation route for Patils maiden sortie that will last 30 minutes. The aircraft will touch a maximum speed of 0.9 Mach (700 to 900 kmph).
"She (Patil) is doing it to inspire the whole country and underline womens empowerment a subject which is close to her heart," Patils daughter Jyoti Rathore had told TOI last week. The sortie is also being seen as making a case for the induction of women fighter pilots in the air force.
Incidentally, Kalam, like Patil now, was 74 when he took the flight. The flying experience for both would also be
"more or less" the same, said IAF spokesperson Wg Cdr Tarun Kumar Singha. "It is basically a familiarisation sortie where the emphasis would be on making the President comfortable with the experience of flying in the frontline fighter aircraft and appreciate the flight. There will be no harsh manoeuvers," he added.
Before Kalam, then defence minister George Fernandes had undertaken a similar sortie in May 2004, clocking 1.15 Mach (about 1,500 kmph). Fernandes, who was also in his early 70s, was exposed to a gravitational force of up to level 3G.
G is the gravitational force that acts against the body weight and density while flying at supersonic speed. Fighter pilots are specially trained to take a maximum of 9G.
Patil, like Kalam, is set to experience a gravitational force of up to 2G. "It also depends on factors like the rate of onset of G-force," said Singha. "Depending on the weather factor, the aircraft is intended to fly at a height of two km or 7,500 ft above the airfield."
This is much less than the 7.5 km (24,600 ft) height attained by Kalam. Usually, the IAFs fighter pilots in the Sukhoi are trained to fly at heights of 30,000 ft to 40,000 ft and even more.
Patil landed at the Lohegaon airport on Monday afternoon amid hectic last-minute preparations and rehearsals of various activities at the air base.
Referring to the sortie plan for Tuesday, Singha said, "The President will arrive at the air base around 9.30 am and will soon receive a guard of honour from the 150-member contingent of IAF officers and personnel." She will then proceed to the No 30 Squadron base for a refresher briefing and a mandatory fitness check before changing to the fire-resistant flying overalls the G-suit, integrated helmet, gloves, visor etc. She will then move to the flight dispersal point for a photo-op before entering the twin seater Su-30 MKI cockpit for a strap-up and take-off.
Apart from the presidential flight, which would be flown by Wg Cdr S Sajan, the chief of the Rhinos Squadron, another two Su-30 MKIs will fly on either side of the main aircraft in a formation, said Singha. "The flight has been planned in such a way that the President would be able to fairly appreciate the surroundings and key sites around the airfield," he added.
Unlike in 2006, when Kalams sortie was followed by a spectacular display of aerobatics, the IAF has planned no such display this time.
---------- Post added at 10:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 AM ----------
All set for President Sukhoi sortie-News-Videos-The Times of India
PUNE: President Pratibha Patil is all set to fly into the record books on Wednesday by becoming the worlds first woman president ever to take to the skies in a fighter aircraft. She will fly in the Indian Air Forces (IAF) most potent multi-role combat aircraft, the Sukhoi-30 MKI, from the Lohegaon air base here.
This is the second time in the last four years that the Lohegaon base will see the commander-in-chief of the Indian armed forces flying in a Su-30 MKI aircraft. On June 8, 2006, then President A P J Abdul Kalam had taken a 30-minute sortie in the Su-30 MKI, an exercise that was positioned as a familiarisation flight as well as an act of motivating youngsters to join the armed forces.
The IAF has chalked out a special rectangular pattern of navigation route for Patils maiden sortie that will last 30 minutes. The aircraft will touch a maximum speed of 0.9 Mach (700 to 900 kmph).
"She (Patil) is doing it to inspire the whole country and underline womens empowerment a subject which is close to her heart," Patils daughter Jyoti Rathore had told TOI last week. The sortie is also being seen as making a case for the induction of women fighter pilots in the air force.
Incidentally, Kalam, like Patil now, was 74 when he took the flight. The flying experience for both would also be
"more or less" the same, said IAF spokesperson Wg Cdr Tarun Kumar Singha. "It is basically a familiarisation sortie where the emphasis would be on making the President comfortable with the experience of flying in the frontline fighter aircraft and appreciate the flight. There will be no harsh manoeuvers," he added.
Before Kalam, then defence minister George Fernandes had undertaken a similar sortie in May 2004, clocking 1.15 Mach (about 1,500 kmph). Fernandes, who was also in his early 70s, was exposed to a gravitational force of up to level 3G.
G is the gravitational force that acts against the body weight and density while flying at supersonic speed. Fighter pilots are specially trained to take a maximum of 9G.
Patil, like Kalam, is set to experience a gravitational force of up to 2G. "It also depends on factors like the rate of onset of G-force," said Singha. "Depending on the weather factor, the aircraft is intended to fly at a height of two km or 7,500 ft above the airfield."
This is much less than the 7.5 km (24,600 ft) height attained by Kalam. Usually, the IAFs fighter pilots in the Sukhoi are trained to fly at heights of 30,000 ft to 40,000 ft and even more.
Patil landed at the Lohegaon airport on Monday afternoon amid hectic last-minute preparations and rehearsals of various activities at the air base.
Referring to the sortie plan for Tuesday, Singha said, "The President will arrive at the air base around 9.30 am and will soon receive a guard of honour from the 150-member contingent of IAF officers and personnel." She will then proceed to the No 30 Squadron base for a refresher briefing and a mandatory fitness check before changing to the fire-resistant flying overalls the G-suit, integrated helmet, gloves, visor etc. She will then move to the flight dispersal point for a photo-op before entering the twin seater Su-30 MKI cockpit for a strap-up and take-off.
Apart from the presidential flight, which would be flown by Wg Cdr S Sajan, the chief of the Rhinos Squadron, another two Su-30 MKIs will fly on either side of the main aircraft in a formation, said Singha. "The flight has been planned in such a way that the President would be able to fairly appreciate the surroundings and key sites around the airfield," he added.
Unlike in 2006, when Kalams sortie was followed by a spectacular display of aerobatics, the IAF has planned no such display this time.
---------- Post added at 10:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 AM ----------
All set for President Sukhoi sortie-News-Videos-The Times of India