LIFESTYLE
Leading from the Cockpit: A Fighter Pilot’s Story, Air Chief Marshal (retd) Hrushikesh Moolgavkar’s biography consists of 200 rare pictures from his albums and gives one a glimpse into the history of the Indian Air Force.
When a fighter pilot flies 67 different aircraft in a career spanning 38 years, he must be having lots of interesting stories to tell.
Therefore, the news of the biography of the 90-year-old former Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal (retd) Hrushikesh Moolgavkar, Leading from the Cockpit: A Fighter Pilot’s Story released in New Delhi on October 8 ( Air Force Day) needs to be welcomed.
The 220-page-book penned by Moolgavkar’s daughter Jyoti Rai has been published by the Delhi-based Society for Aerospace Studies. It contains 200 rare pictures from Moolgavkar’s albums and gives one a glimpse into India’s Air Force history. It also carries excerpts from Moolgavkar’s flying log books. A total of 1,100, hardbound copies of the biography have been published.
To say that Moolgavkar has had an exciting career would be an understatement. Just sample these facts. Even before he joined the Royal Indian Air Force in 1940, Moolgavkar had a close brush with death. He stepped out just in time from a Beechcraft aircraft just minutes before it took off, only to hit a group of vultures and crash, killing all on board.
Later, while fighting the World War II in Burma (now Myanmar), Moolgavkar crash landed a Spitfire fighter aircraft on the beach injuring his vertebrae badly. It is another matter, that he himself flew a plane from Cox’s Bazaar (now in Bangladesh) to Kolkata in that injured state. Following surgery and rehabilitation, Moolgavkar was flying once again very soon. Such was his passion for flying.
Post the war, a glorious career enfolded for Moolgavkar with the Indian Air Force. He had the opportunity to lead the very first fly-past in New Delhi on the occasion of the country’s first Independence Day, as also the first fly-past of Republic Day.
In the 1948 Kashmir operations, Moolgavkar earned a Mahavir Chakra for successfully leading a squadron of Tempests which succeeded in neutralising the Pakistani army.
All this and more has been documented in Moolgavkar’s book. However, the book almost never got off the ground. To begin with Moolgavkar was not enthusiastic about the project.
Speaking to this correspondent at his Koregaon Park residence on Wednesday evening, Moolgavkar says, “I studied at the Malvern College in England, where they taught us to be humble and modest. Hence I was not comfortable with the idea of talking about myself.”
Moolgavkar finally relented after his daughter Jyoti pointed out that it was important to document his career for the benefit of future Indian air force pilots. Jyoti says, “This is why the entire book is focused only on papa’s flying career and nothing else.”
The book has been a labour of love. To begin with the Pune-based Group Captain (retd) Hemant Khatu, a retired fighter pilot had 50 sittings with Moolgavkar to reconstruct the past. Khatu says, “As Sir had lost his first log book documenting the 1940-43 period, we had to work that much harder.”
Later, Jyoti worked painstakingly on the script for several months. “I had to write and re-write the script several times. Papa made several changes. However, I am very happy that the book is done, as young air force pilots will now know how the Indian Air Force (IAF) was built.”
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals twist behind Rs 200000 job fee, closes application window
Days after Ratan Tata's demise, Tata Group's Rs 131000 crore company inks pact with ADB for...
WATCH: Woman makes Biryani with Parle-G biscuits, viral video fumes internet
Only train in India in which passengers can travel for FREE; check route, timings and more
'Justice for biryani': Parle-G biryani takes internet by storm, video goes viral
DNA TV Show: Why Gautam Adani charged with bribery and fraud in US
IND vs AUS: Records Virat Kohli can break during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Diljit Dosanjh fans get angry over Ananya Panday's birthday post for her grandmother, here's why
Reddit suffers outage with ‘upstream connect error’ message, says 'currently investigating...'
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: How has Jasprit Bumrah fared in Tests in Australia?
Delhi records coldest night of the season, temp drops to...
Crossing the Line: Ukraine's Use of Storm Shadow Missiles and the Escalation of Conflict
When Malaika Arora talked about the controversial ‘instant pleasure’ ad, it was for…
This is the world’s most expensive shopping street, not Fifth Avenue, New Bond Street, it is...
Big setback for Gautam Adani, Kenya cancels Rs 6216 crore deal with Adani Group due to...
Viral video: Man’s jugaad to stay warm in winter will leave you SHOCKED, watch here
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
Viral video: Middle-Class man lives dream of having tea at Taj Hotel, netizens applauds
Shloka Mehta looks stunning in white floral kurta as she clicked with Akash Ambani, it costs Rs....
Who is Sagar Adani, Gautam Adani's nephew, accused of bribery, fraud charges in US?
PayPal down: Several users face issue while logging into accounts, say 'no one could...'
IND vs AUS: Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins eye historic captaincy milestone in Perth Test
BGT 2024, Ind vs Aus: Can Shubhman Gill be the new Cheteshwar Pujara? Is he really ready?
The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Gifting: Discover Heirloom Pashmina by Pashmina.com
Effortless Relocations: The Perks Of Professional Removalists In Melbourne
Watch: Pakistan fan with 'Imran Khan' poster asked to leave Hobart stadium in Australia
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for...
What is demisexuality? Everything you need to know about this lesser-known sexual orientation
WATCH: World’s shortest woman meets world’s tallest woman, video goes viral
IND vs AUS 1st Test: Predicted playing XIs, Perth weather forecast and pitch report
IND vs AUS: When will Rohit Sharma join India squad? Check latest update
'Scam 2024': Diljit Dosanjh lookalike pranks people on Pune streets, video goes viral
Delhi Air Pollution: Centre announces staggered work timings for govt employees; check details
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio loses nearly 80 lakh subscribers in just 30 days, BSNL adds...
IND vs AUS, 1st Test Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs Australia match
This country has most expensive passport in world, not US, UK, UAE, it costs Rs...
Amitabh Bachchan opens up on Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan divorce rumours
Amid rising air pollution, Delhi-NCR's crematorium records cleanest air; check AQI here
Revolutionising Medical Imaging: Venudhar Rao Hajari’s impact on healthcare technology
Abhishek Gupta and Onevision Media: Scaling brands on social media
Video shows Korean girl eating jalebi for first time, her reaction to Indian sweet goes viral
Cristiano Ronaldo confirms THIS YouTube star as his next guest, says, 'Will break Internet'
Delhi Assembly Elections: AAP releases first list of 11 candidates for 2025 polls
Adani Group's FIRST REACTION after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
Instagram introduces new feature, know how to reset app's algorithm, change your feed
No mention of Aaradhya Bachchan in Amitabh Bachchan's post on birthdays, it happened recently
Oppo Find X8 and X8 Pro launched in India, check specifications, price, other details
Charges against Gautam Adani: BJP's scathing attack on Congress, questions timing of development
Jasprit Bumrah's BIG statement on taking up Perth test captaincy, says, 'tactically better...'
Blackout on breaks: Company imposes no-sick-leave policy until 2025
Drug-laden terrorists on India's western, northern frontiers
Mohammad Shami trolls Sanjay Manjrekar over IPL auction bid prediction, says, 'Baba ki...'