One often comes across the good old saying – ‘The engine of an airplane is its heart, but the pilot- its soul.’
It was on the pleasant morning of 24th July 2021, that we, the students and teachers at MAHSS, had the esteemed privilege of interacting with and being spellbound by the stories Wing Co. Ashoka Sir had to share with us. Sir, whowas the former chief test pilot at HAL (Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd.), Kanpur, Nasik and Bangalore, was also a reputed Emeritus Scientist as well as proficient fighter and test pilot at NAL. Sir is one of the finest pilots our country has ever produced, and ‘the BEST fighter and test pilot in the world,’ in the words of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, our former President. Our very own director, VPD Sir, has worked with him for about 3 years on flight experiments for HANSA and LCRA, and described him as the calmest, coolest and the most ‘non-aggressive’ fighter pilot he has ever come across, as opposed to the general belief.
The session started with Sir VPD introducing us to Wing Co. Sir, who is nothing less than an institution in himself.
Born in Indore, Wing Co. P Ashoka Sir was admitted to the highly reputed National Defence Academy at Dehradun in 1950. After 2 years of intense training there, he joined the Airforce Academy, Belgaum. In 1963 he joined the prestigious Empire Test Pilot School, UK. He worked as the chief test pilot at HAL, Kanpur, upon retirement from which, joined the National Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL), Bengaluru, the very organisation where Sir ended his illustrious and remarkable 4-decade long career. At the time of retirement in October 2002, at the age of 68, Sir was a proud holder of many prestigious awards, which were a result of his passion, daring and drive, leading to his matchless contribution to the field of aeronautics, and Wing Co.Ashoka Sir was fittingly described as a ‘Legend,’ by Sir VPD. Sir VPD then reminisced about the times when he had flown with Wing Co. Ashoka Sir, describing the experience as surreal.
Wing Co. Sir was first asked about the thin line of difference between fighter and test pilots, to which he answered that the common traits required in both are discipline, ability to make quick decisions, the ability to overcome your fears and most importantly, courage. The difference then, was that the finer nuances are privy to the fighter pilot, while the test pilot does the more analytical and responsible job of ensuring everything works smoothly. Sir then described his experience while flying a plane for the first time, emphasizing on the importance of the relation shared between the pilot and the aircraft, establishing which was absolutely necessary, he said. He also added that with technological advancements today, pilots find it relatively easier to make their first flights courageously, due to simulations available.
Sir further narrated some incidents from his share of trying times as a pilot. For instance, on the MiG-21 (Mikoyan-Gurevich 21) when Sir travelled at supersonic speeds and low altitudes (tree-top level), he noticed the airplanes vibrating wildly at very high frequencies, which could cause extensive damage to the structure of the airplane. This is known as ‘flutter of an airplane,’ we learnt. Besides, bad weather is another huge problem faced by pilots. These incidents made us realize and appreciate the extremely responsible role played by a pilot, and we could only imagine the amount of stress experienced in that crucial moment. To think that Sir has handled many such mishaps successfully, truly left us spell spellbound!
Sir was next asked how one could maximise their chances of a successful flight when coming across a new or unfamiliar aircraft model. To this, Sir said that during the course undertaken by the test pilot, he is exposed to various types of machines. He added that with increasing experience, one comes across various features common to most airplanes.
The next question asked was, ‘(say two Aircrafts were flying, one behind the other) What effect can jet wash of the former aircraft have on a trailing aircraft?’ Sir said that in such situations, the airflow is random. The trailing aircraft would then find itself in (as Sir described it) a state of heavy turbulence, with big gusts of wind coming in.
The next question posed by a student was – ‘What are the emotional and physical requirements for a woman to get into the Indian Air Force?’ To this, Sir said that physical requirements included the standard medical fitness, with particular emphasis on good eyesight. As to emotional requirements, certain psychological tests are conducted before selection itself. He added that with increasing experience, the fear factor slowly minimised too.
Lastly, Sir told us about how he developed interest and decided to take this up as a career. In the year 1952, when Sir was at the age of 18, the first jet fighter planes were introduced in the country. The moment Sir witnessed them, he knew that this is where his heart lay, and this is the field he wanted to pursue a career in. Sir passionately described the profession of a pilot as ‘a vast, diverse experience’ that he thoroughly enjoyed. He also mentioned that when in such a profession, it takes tremendous amounts of patience and courage on the part of the pilot’s family, knowing that accidents could take place at any instance.
At the end of the fabulous 45-minute session, I had the privilege of proposing the vote of thanks on behalf of all of us, and thanked Wing Co. P Ashoka Sir for sharing with us his ocean of knowledge, decades of experience and mesmerising stories. Our key takeaway from this session was the fact that, in spite of having flown at high altitudes, Sir was so very grounded and humble in nature. What made the session even more special was the presence of Prof. Pant, (Sir VPD’s mentor at IIT Bombay), and Prof. Datta Prabhumoni, (Sir VPD’s Math and Science teacher from childhood); two people that Sir VPD and all of us look up to immensely. We all thoroughly enjoyed the session and learnt a lot. On behalf of us Aryaanites, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Sir VPD for exposing us to various fields and giving us the opportunity to interact with such great personalities time and again, which inspires us to dream bigger and work harder.
Prepared by Nidhi Thakur, Class XI