At one remote Chinese airstrip they were just about to touch down when a powerful wind shot them 50 feet back up into the air. It took three more attempts before they could land safely.The most dangerous passage to date was crossing the Bering Sea on July 5th. Monga was the only one flying the craft as it crossed over those frigid waters because Kumar was replaced on the Russian leg by a local navigator, a mandatory requirement when that country’s air controllers speak only Russian.If engine troubles had forced Monga to ditch the plane, he would have had only six minutes to three hours to survive, depending on whether he was able to get an immersion survival suit on in time.That is where some breakthrough tracking and communications technology onboard the tiny craft that was provided by a Canadian company could have saved his life. The equipment, invented by a Calgary, Alberta-based company called Flyht, allows IAF officers sitting in a control room in north central India to track constantly where the micro light is.It also allows controllers to talk to the pilot via a satellite phone, whether over the Bering Sea or over some remote jungle.Had Monga ditched the aircraft, IAF controllers could have called in Canadian, American and Russian rescue teams and told them exactly where in the Bering Sea to look.
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(Left) Pilot Rahul Monga, 37, a father of two young boys, normally flies attack helicopters while his co-pilot (right) Anil Kumar, 38, a father of one young boy, handles supersonic jet fighters for the Indian Air Force. The two landed in Santa Paula in their around the World attempt in their small micro-light airplane (inset photo). Photos by Brian D. Wilson |
Indian Air Force pilots land in Santa Paula
July 20, 2007
Santa Paula News
Two Indian Air Force pilots landed their small micro-light plane at the Santa Paula Airport Tuesday afternoon.The two pilots are trying to set a new world record for flying around the world.
Two of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) fighter pilots are winging a tiny aircraft over California and stopped in Santa Paula this week.Its plane is unpredictable and it hits the ground heavy. It’s a micro light aircraft that weighs less than 500 kilograms on takeoff. That makes it highly susceptible to wind gusts, an especially dangerous situation when trying to land it.The two IAF Wing Commanders landed in Santa Paula Tuesday afternoon, had lunch at The Grove, and spent the night at the Glen Tavern Inn before taking off Wednesday morning.Pilot Rahul Monga, 37, a father of two young boys, normally flies attack helicopters, while his co-pilot Anil Kumar, 38, a father of one young boy, handles supersonic jet fighters for the Indian Air Force.But they have taken this dangerous mission on for two reasons: to smash the current record for circumnavigating the globe in a micro light weighing between 300-500 kilograms; and, as a goodwill mission to celebrate the IAF’s 75th anniversary.The two have already flown halfway around the world, leaving Delhi, India, on June 1st and battling monsoons up China’s eastern coast, flying over frozen and sparsely-populated areas of Russia and leaping across the bone-chilling Bering Sea to land in Anchorage, Alaska.From Santa Paula, they were scheduled to head northeast to Colorado Springs, southeast to Jacksonville, Florida, than due north to Toronto, Canada. They hope to exit North America from Canada’s frozen north, hop over to Greenland, Iceland, Europe and home to India.They are attempting to lop 34 days off the nearly 98-day current record but already they are running 12 days behind schedule because foul weather forced them to remain grounded in a number of countries.
