Abhinav chickens out at aero show!

No, he didn't run away from flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon, he only ate his favourite chicken curry before aiming for the sky

Abhinav chickens out at aero show!

No, he didn't run away from flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon, he only ate his favourite chicken curry before aiming for the sky

Ace shooter Abhinav Bindra successfully flew Lockheed Martin's F-16 Fighting Falcon at Aero India but not before digging into his favourite chicken curry. "He was great throughout the day," said Jeff Paulk, 47, a retired US airforce pilot who supported Bindra's successful flight that made him the first Olympic medallist to fly the jet fighter. "I trained him and we shared great moments all day since he reached the airforce base."

On Day 2 of the airshow yesterday, Bindra started off with some lessons from Paulk on the specifications of F-16 and instructions to be followed on board.u00a0 "I also asked him to eat as one shouldn't fly without food," added Paulk. "Bindra preferred to eat chicken masala and chapathis." Bindra's mother, Babli, who accompanied him said it was his favourite food.
u00a0
The flight

Bindra took off at around 4.50 pm and was in the sky for about an hour. He is said to have flown about a hundred miles at a speed of Mach2 and neared Mysore.

Bindra now joins a list of celebrities who have achieved the feat so far. Ratan Tata did it at Aero India 2007.

"It makes the whole nation proud," said Babli. "He was excellent throughout the flight," said Paul Randall, theu00a0 pilot who accompanied Bindra. "His concentration and mindset is as good as a pilot's."

Great experience

Bindra said the experience was one of his best. "It's the most exhilarating thing I have done after the Olympics," he said. "It will be so for the rest of my life."

Flight specifications
>>Features in more than 20 movies and 20 video games
>>One of most effective fighters in world that is capable of carrying 12 types of bombs, including nuclear bombs
>>Capable of air-to-air, antiship and air-to-ground attack
>>Active Electronically Scanned Array radar
>>Striking force of Pakistan's airforce
>>Striking force in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
>>More than 25 countries operate the F-16

u00a0	Ratan Tatau00a0 (2007)u00a0u00a0	Abhinav Bindra (2008)
Top Speed	Mach 1.32+	Mach 2+
Top Height	16 000 u2013 18000 ft	more than 30000ft
Fleet time	20 minsu00a0	more than 20 mins
Test pilot	Paul Hattemdorf	Paul Randall