Father-son duo takes to the skies

SHILLONG: On the first day of the Air Fest, when the Mi-17 V5 took to the skies, a father-son duo was at the controls. Steering the helicopter were Air Vice Marshal Manavendra

Singh

and his son Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Singh at the advanced landing ground under the jurisdiction of the

Eastern Air Command

in Upper

Shillong

on Saturday. The

Air Fest

marks the 84th anniversary of the Indian Air Force.

Air Vice Marshal Manavendra Singh is the senior officer in charge of administration of the Eastern Air Command headquarters, while Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Singh is a unit pilot posted in a Mi-17 V5 helicopter unit under the Eastern Air Command headquarters.

"Air Vice Marshal Manavendra Singh is one of the seniormost helicopter pilots in the

IAF

and has over 6,700 hours of flying to his credit. The Air officer is a qualified flying instructor and in a career spanning nearly 35 years, has instructed on various types of helicopters and fixed wing aircrafts," an Eastern Air Command headquarters spokesperson said. "Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Singh, following in his father's footsteps, was commissioned in the helicopter stream in 2011," the Air Force official said.

The Air Vice Marshal's father and wives of the two officers were also present to witness the occasion. After the flight, both officers were felicitated by Air Marshal

C

Harikumar, AOC-in-C, Eastern Air Command headquarters.

The Mi-17 V5 helicopter is the IAF's latest acquisition and forms the backbone of the medium-lift helicopter fleet. The aircraft is a state-of-the-art platform equipped with advanced avionics and has proved to be an asset to the IAF in various operations and exercises. The annual Air Fest, which is open to the public, will conclude on Monday.


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