55 year old vintage IAF plane lands in Gujarat

Bhuj

    A heritage flying expedition of more than 3000 km along the western border from Amritsar in Punjab to Naliya  in Gujarat in an over 55 year old vintage Pushpak aircraft by South Western Command of the Indian Air Force to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of 1965 Indo-Pak war and honour its heroes has reached Bhuj, Defense Spokesperson Wing Commander Abhishek Matiman said today.

      The expedition took off from Bathinda in Punjab on September 14 and will culminate at Jaipur on September 22 after flying all along the western border. The aircraft which was used for Air Observation role in the 1965 and 1971 operations has been rebuilt and refurbished to flying standards with no modern equipment. The aircraft is being flown by Brig AS Sidhu and Lt Col Arvind Saini (co-pilot). It landed in Bhuj yesterday, Mr Matiman informed.

   The aim of the expedition is to honour the heroes of the 1965 war who had laid down their lives for the motherland and also to foster the spirit of adventure among the younger lot. It is generating awareness among the present generation as regards the type of aircraft and difficulties under which our predecessors flew. A total of more than 3000kms will be flown in the vintage aircraft. The Flying expedition team will also interact with the students and local youth at various places en route to showcase the achievements of the Indian Army during the 1965 War and motivate the youth to join the Indian Army, the spokesperson said.

DeshGujarat