Rajiv Gandhi
Shri Rajiv Gandhi ji, the late former Prime Minister of India, returned to India in 1966.. He went to Delhi and got trained as a pilot at the DFC school in 1970. He was employed by the Indian Airlines (now Air India) as a pilot on domestic routes. Even though his mother, Indira Gandhi ji was the Prime Minister of the country yet, he still choose aviation as his occupation which was also his passion. In a TV interview, Rajiv Gandhi ji later said he enjoyed flying as it gave him "freedom" and took him away from routine life.
Biju Patnaik
Biju ji was educated at Ravenshaw College in Odisha but, due to his interest in aviation, dropped out and trained as a pilot. Biju ji flew with private airlines but at the start of the Second World War he joined the Royal Indian Air Force. He eventually became the head of air transport command. Biju ji was hailed as a hero in Indonesia. Biju ji was conferred Indonesia’s ‘Bintang Jasa Utama’ award for the heroic role he had played when Dutch colonialists had tried to gain control over the country in 1947. An ace pilot who had started training at the Delhi Flying Club in 1930, had joined the Royal Indian Air Force in 1936. Biju ji played a significant role in the Indian freedom struggle.
Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal
Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal ji, was the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He served in the IAF from 1939 until his retirement in 1973. He was the CAS at the time of Operation Chengiz Khan, countering the preemptive air strikes by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) marking the beginning of hostilities of the war. Slated to study law in England, Lal joined the Air Force Volunteer Reserve at the outbreak of World War II. After serving as a navigation instructor, he trained as a pilot and joined No. 7 Squadron IAF. Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal Biju Patnaik Rajiv Gandhi “A ‘good’ landing is one from which you can walk away. A ‘great’ landing is one after which they can use