Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was recently awarded the Vir Chakra for shooting down a Pakistan fighter jet in a dogfight, flew a MiG-21 fighter jet with Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Monday.
Varthaman was not the only one returning to the MiG-21 cockpit after a long gap. So was BS Dhanoa.
They took off a sortie on the MiG-21 jet from the Pathankot air base this morning.
This was Air Chief Marshal last MiG-21 sortie flown with Wing Commander.
The IAF chief who is also a MiG-21 pilot flew the plane during the Kargil conflict (May-July 1999).
Wing Commander Abhinandan had scripted history in February this year by downing an F-16. He had been taken captive by Pakistan and was released two days after his capture.
