President inquisitive,was at ease

Wing Commander S Sajan,who flew the President on a Sukhoi-30 MKi sortie on Wednesday,said that for a first timer,Patil had been extremely comfortable in the cockpit.

Sajan spoke briefly with the media,after the flight. Being a professional,I can say that she was extremely comfortable, Sajan said adding that Patil did not look like this was her first time on a Sukhoi fighter aircraft.

He called the mission a unique and priceless experience. It was very reassuring to see the confidence displayed by the President. I had been looking forward to this for quite sometime. Around a month ago,we held briefings with the President. She had always been confident from day one, Sajan said. Sajan said that in the beginning the aircraft was flying at 600 km per hour,but the speed was increased at the behest of the President who wanted the aircraft to fly at a greater speed. We flew at a height of 2.7 km at the speed of 600 km,700 km and finally 850 km per hour, he said. Sajan and the president were constantly communicating during the sortie.

She was very inquisitive. I kept telling her about the areas we were flying over. She was eager to know more, he said.

Sajan added that the President had been curious about the two other Sukhoi aircraft. She was very well oriented in air, he said,adding that most of the turns performed had been basic maneuvers.

Sajan is the commanding officer of the Sukhoi 30 squadron also called the Rhinos at the Lohegaon air base. Sajan has over 1,500 hours of flight experience,flying various variants of Sukhoi.

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