Eleven test pilots and six flight test engineers of the 48th Flight Test Course graduated from the Air Force Test Pilot School (AFTPS) in Bengaluru after completing a rigorous 48-week multi-discipline training curriculum. This year, the graduating course comprised 17 officers, including 14 officers from the Indian Air Force, one officer from the Indian Army and two officers from the Indian Navy. After this, the graduates will join the Aviation Wing of the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, one of the best units of the Indian Air Force.
air chief marshal AP Singh PVSM AVSM, Chief of the Air Staff and a renowned alumnus of the 17th Flight Test Course, was present as the Chief Guest on the occasion. He gave certificates to all the graduating officers and gave trophies to those who did good work.
Prestigious honors and awards to meritorious officers
This year, the famous “Suranjan Das Trophy” for the Best All-Round Student Test Pilot was awarded to Squadron Leader KK Singh, VM, while the “Chief of the Air Staff Trophy” for the Best Student Test Pilot in Flight Evaluation was awarded to Squadron Leader Aditya Jamdagni.
“Maharaja Hanumant Singh Sword” for the best all-round student flight test engineer was given to Wing Commander Abhinav Kumar. “Dunlop Trophy” was given to Wing Commander Pranav Sharma for the best student flight test engineer in flight evaluation and “Kapil Bhargava Trophy” was given to Squadron Leader Paras Sharma for the best student in ground subjects.
Emphasis on self-reliant defense capabilities
Addressing the House on the occasion, the Chief Guest asked the graduating officers to keep working hard with focus, and reminded them that they will play an important role in the capability building and modernization of the Indian Armed Forces. Calling ‘self-reliance’ an essential need to build strong indigenous defense capabilities, CAS emphasized this huge responsibility.
He said what a huge responsibility the test crew will have to take to take forward the country’s indigenization campaign and strengthen the aerospace ecosystem. He stressed the need to optimize the time cycle from design to delivery while maintaining the highest standards of equipment safety and quality.
He also stressed the importance of professional competence to ensure that aircraft and systems meet the operational requirements of the forces, and appealed to the officers to maintain the qualities of integrity, honesty, accuracy and excellence.
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