Veteran top gun shares cockpit success with 21-year-old

When 21-year-old flying officer Tejas Kawale visited air chief marshal (retd) Hrushikesh Moolgavkar (91) at his Koregaon park residence on Monday morning, the contrasts could not have been starker. Seventy years separated the two fighter pilots in age and while Tejas had flown only the Kiran Mark II trainer jet, the former air chief had flown 67 aircraft in his long and distinguished career.

Flying officer Tejas Kawale was presented with the prestigious sword of honour at the air force academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad, on June 18. He also bagged a total of seven prizes, including the president's plaque for standing first in the overall order of merit.

In the hour-long meeting, as the former air chief shared one gem after the other with the budding fighter pilot, it almost seemed as if Bheesma from the Mahabharata was talking to the young Abhimanyu about strategy and warfare.

Refusing to speak of his many exploits, a modest Moolgavkar instead proceeded to give important tips about flying a supersonic jet to Tejas, "Remember the basic parameters of speeds that are prescribed in your pilot's manual. Get all doubts about the aircraft you are flying cleared by your seniors. It is always prudent to try out variations only after you have attained a height of 10,000 feet. The higher you fly, the safer you are in a supersonic jet," Moolgavkar told the young Tejas.

When pressed by Tejas to speak about his Mahavir chakra winning effort in the Kashmir operations of 1948, Moolgavkar spoke instead of how he had almost unwittingly managed to touch the speed of sound when he took the Tempest II in a steep 20,000 feet dive. "I felt the entire aircraft shudder. Upon landing I noticed that the wings of the aircraft were wrinkled. My discussions with senior pilots made me realise that I had almost touched the speed of sound. I was advised not to try this out on a Tempest again!" Moolgavkar told Tejas.

Later, Moolgavkar shared with the young Tejas the importance of not giving up in the face of adversity. The former air chief recalled how he had crashed a Spitfire aircraft during the Second World War in Burma.

"After recovering from a vertebral fracture and reporting to duty, I was told that I could not fly fighter aircraft anymore. I protested and threatened to resign from the air force. I stuck to my guns and my seniors relented. If you believe strongly about something, do not give up. Only then will you succeed," Moolgavkar told the budding fighter pilot. The former Air Chief even gifted a copy of his biography Leading from the cockpit to the young pilot.

Tejas told DNA, "I am overwhelmed with my interaction with air chief marshal Moolgavkar. I have learnt a lot. I will internalise everything and his book will be my guiding light in the years to come."