Watch PV Sindhu flies LCA Tejas Fighter jet at Aero India 2019 Air Show

India’s ace badminton player P.V. Sindhu Saturday flew HAL’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas at the ongoing Aero India air show

PV Sindhu, who is also among the youngest to co-pilot the HAL-manufactured fighter jet, waved as she climbed into the two-seater trainer variant of the aircraft.

Ms Sindhu flew in Tejas with Wing Commander Sidharth Singh in the front seat flying the aircraft for most of sortie. “She could quickly adapt to the height and speed. We carried out some attacks at a dam nearby. She flew for about 5 minutes herself,” the wing commander said.

“Sindhu will co-pilot the Tejas aircraft as part of the Women’s Day to be observed at the air show on Saturday,” a Defence Ministry official had said on Friday.

Speaking to the media, PV Sindhu said “I’m honoured to have taken this flight. The captain showed me all the maneuvers. He did all the loops and rolls, and flew for about 5mins. Special thanks for DRDO for making this happen. Women’s Day celebrations at the expo gave me this opportunity and will definitely remember this forever.”

The badminton star flew in the Tejas fighter jet as part of the Women’s Day on the fourth day of the air show held at the Yelahanka air base. “Three women IAF fighter pilots will also fly Hawk-I advanced jet trainer of BAE Systems plc and an upgraded version of the Russian-made MiG-21,” an official was quoted by news agency IANS.

“The ‘Women’s Day’ will showcase women’s achievements in the aerospace sector, an all-women crew will fly Dornier and Avro aircraft and participate in panel discussions at the venue,” said the official. The biennial event ends on February 25.

Tejas, built by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), is a single-engine multirole light fighter.

The aircraft received its final operational clearance (FOC) on Wednesday from military aviation regulator Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (Cemilac) for induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a weaponised fighter jet in its operational fleet.

The homegrown aircraft was flown by the Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat on Thursday, who hailed it as a wonderful aircraft.