16 February,2009 09:43 AM IST | | Anshuman G Dutta
Test pilots fly experimental aircraft and those under development to prove their airworthiness
They first fly an aircraft to certify its airworthiness and ability to guard the sky. Chosen through a rigorous selection process of the Indian Air Force (IAF), test pilots provide feedback for the engineers working on the aircraft on the basis on their flight experience.
"It is the most challenging and risky flying. We have to learn the engineering aspect of the plane during its development stage. However, there is not much difference between the test pilots and regular pilots." said Group Captain Narmadeshwar Tiwari, who made India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas a success story.
Group Captain Tiwari leads the team of the bravehearts, who have been involved with the development of Tejas since the beginning.
u00a0"Earlier I used to fly Mirage but Tejas is close to my heart as we all have been a part of the entire development process," he said.
Tiwari has done 110 sorties in the plane. "I still remember my very first sortie. It was successful and the plane landed in the first attempt," he said.
The daredevils spend equal time on simulators before going inside the prototypes. "We are associated with planes since the beginning, thus we know how it will behave in the air," said Wing Commander Sheetal Ravuri, test pilot of Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) and team leader of Sarang Display Team.
No doubt the job is thrilling, but risky too.u00a0 "Everyone calls it exciting as if we are part of a movie. But unlike that we never know the climax," said a test pilot, requesting anonymity.
