New Delhi: More than four decades after his first flight, the chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, returned to the same trainer aircraft and the same instructor to bring his flying journey in the IAF full circle. On Tuesday, ACM Singh flew his final sortie in uniform at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, in an HJT-16 Kiran Mk-1 aircraft bearing tail number U 707, alongside his first flying instructor, Wing Commander VS Kochar (retd). The 55-minute flight was a farewell to his flying career.
After landing, ACM Singh called the experience a “dream come true” and thanked his former instructor for teaching him to fly. “I’m very grateful to my instructor, wing commander Kochhar sir, who taught me flying in the beginning, in this place itself,” he said.
“I just wanted the circle to be complete,” ACM Singh added. Recalling his first and final flights, he said, “I did my first sortie on January 28 way back in 1984, in this very place with him in a Kiran aircraft. And today, I did my last sortie in uniform with him in the same Kiran aircraft.”
ACM Singh also noted that the Kiran aircraft he first flew was still in service. “I think I must be the only chief who’s retiring while the basic aircraft he flew is still serving,” he said.
ACM Singh was commissioned into the IAF’s fighter stream on December 21, 1984. A qualified flying instructor and experimental test pilot, he has accumulated more than 5,000 hours of flying experience and held several operational and senior command appointments.
His career included a key role in India’s indigenous fighter programme. As project director (flight test) at the National Flight Test Centre, he was involved in the flight testing of the Tejas light combat aircraft. He also led the MiG-29 upgrade project management team in Moscow and commanded a fighter squadron and an air base.
ACM Singh took over as the 28th chief of air staff on September 30, 2024. During his tenure, he emphasized operational readiness, modernization, indigenous defence production and the need to prepare the IAF for evolving security threats.
Earlier this month, ACM Singh flew his final fighter sortie in the indigenous Tejas during Exercise Tarang Shakti at Jodhpur Air Force Station. Tuesday’s Kiran flight was his final sortie in uniform.
Ashutosh Dixit to take over as next air chief
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit will succeed ACM Singh as the 29th chief of air staff from October 31. AM Dixit was commissioned into the IAF’s fighter stream on December 6, 1986, as RNA Media reported earlier.
AM Dixit is an experimental test pilot and qualified flying instructor with more than 3,500 hours of flying experience. His previous appointments include chief of integrated defence staff to the chairman of the chiefs of staff committee and air officer commanding-in-chief of Central Air Command.
