IAF Chief AP Singh flies final sortie in Kiran trainer alongside 1984 instructor

Final flight in uniform

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh completed his final flying sortie in uniform on Tuesday, piloting an HJT-16 Kiran Mk-1 trainer aircraft alongside the instructor who first taught him to fly at the Air Force Academy four decades ago.

Flying from the Air Force Academy at Dundigal near Hyderabad, the Chief of the Air Staff undertook a 55-minute flight in aircraft U 707 with retired Wing Commander VS Kochhar. The sortie marked a symbolic full circle for the air chief ahead of his retirement at the end of the month, when Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit is scheduled to take over command of the Indian Air Force.

Upon landing at the academy, the Kiran trainer was honoured with a traditional water cannon salute.

Completing the circle

Singh described the flight as a dream come true, noting that he had begun his military aviation journey in the same aircraft type at the same academy in January 1984.

The air chief remarked that he is likely the only head of the service to retire while the primary trainer aircraft on which he first qualified remains in active service. Singh graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1984, winning the Sword of Honour for his performance.

Wing Commander Kochhar, now 73, praised his former student as an exceptional officer, describing the opportunity to share the cockpit once again as a privilege.

Flying career milestones

This final trainer flight follows Singh's last fighter jet sortie on 12 October, when he flew the indigenous LCA Tejas fighter during Exercise Tarang Shakti at Jodhpur Air Force Station.

While Air Headquarters statements and direct quotes from the air chief place his first sortie on 28 January 1984, secondary accounts differ on whether the initial flight took place on 20 January or 28 January. The Indian Air Force continues to maintain operational readiness and robust training standards as it advances its fleet modernization programmes.