Fernandes flies MiG, with ace

Defence Minister George Fernandes today undertook a 25-minute sortie on a MiG 21 in an attempt to dispel fear about the jet, dubbed the 14...

Defence Minister George Fernandes today undertook a 25-minute sortie on a MiG 21 in an attempt to dispel fear about the jet, dubbed the 8216;8216;Flying Coffin8217;8217;, following a spate of crashes.

Fernandes, who was in the rear cockpit of the recently-overhauled MiG 21, took off with Wing Commander N. Harish, an A-2 qualified test pilot with a flawless flying record. After the sorties, the Defence Minister declared the craft was airworthy. He did not respond to allegations by relatives of fighter pilots, who died in MiG crashes, that what he was doing today was a show. 8216;8216;I will not respond to this,8217;8217; said Fernandes.

Addressing reporters at the Air Force Station, Fernandes said the MiG 21 would be gradually phased out. Reacting to a question that the jet8217;s air safety had become a public issue, he said there had never been any major problem with the MiG 21. 8216;8216;There has been a campaign to malign the image of MiG 21. I undertook the flight to dispel it and to find out problems faced by pilots,8217;8217; he said.

The 73-year-old Fernandes also became the oldest person to fly in the jet. He was subject to 3.5 to 4 G during the sortie. 8216;8216;He was comfortable during the sortie,8217;8217; said Wing Commander Harish after touching down. The Defence Minister, who was under attack in Parliament over MiG safety, said the jet could not be compared to modern aircraft as they were purchased long ago. Fernandes said he enjoyed the flight, adding it was more comfortable than the Sukhoi in some ways considering that MiG 21 was an old machine.

He dismissed the issue of crashes being attributed to poor quality spares purchased from Central Asian countries, adding it was one more chapter in the misinformation campaign. He said the issue of procuring spares had been taken up at the highest level with Russia. 8216;8216;The Prime Minister has taken it up with the Russian President,8217;8217; he said adding that procurement of spares had been a prime concern at the ministry level.

About the purchase of second-hand aircraft from Eastern Europe, Fernandes said the IAF had procured them in view of their remaining life. The Defence Minister, who did a similar sortie in a Sukhoi from Pune, said there would be no fixed timeframe for phasing out the MiG 21.