A day in the life of a fighter pilot!

Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Singh, 26, is a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force. Posted to an elite Mig-29 squadron in the north of India, Sid, as he’s known by his squadron mates, has been flying the aircraft for the past three years. While, becoming a fighter pilot has been his childhood dream, flying these complex aircrafts is more than just excitement and thrill – it is also a responsibility and commitment to his country. Having passed out from the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla and then from the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad, Sid has the same grit, determination and commitment to the service and the nation, that every pilot has. And like every fighter pilot, Sid also has a streak of flamboyance in him. He loves leather jackets, Ray Bans and his Royal Enfield. And it goes without saying that this dashing and debonair young man with brown eyes, rugged features and dimpled smile is a great hit with women! But sorry ladies, he already has a girl friend in the other corner of the country, who keeps him up till the wee hours of the night, chatting on the phone.

Morning mantra: The sky is still inky with the last streaks of night and there’s a slight chill in the early morning air. The alarm goes of for the fifth time. Sid snaps open his eyes and glances at the clock. It’s 5.30 am and he just has eight minutes to get ready before the air crew van comes chugging by.  As he slips into his smart blue overalls and laces up his flying boots (and yes, he didn’t forget to brush!), he thinks about the two sorties that he is going to fly and all the ‘bum jobs’ (these are miscellaneous duties in the casual Air Force parlance) that he has to complete in the next 10 hours. It’s going to be a long day and he wonders if he’ll be able to fit in a game of squash after work.

The sharp toot of the air crew van breaks his reverie and he makes a dash for it, with his flying gear tucked under his arm and a pair of Ray Bans perched on his aquiline nose (ahem…it’s not all that sunny yet, but well it’s just part of the style). As the vehicle makes its way towards the squadron, all the officers wonder if the CO (the Commanding Officer) is going to be in a good mood. He’d been giving all of them a tough time for the past week with his disciplining spiel.

The man and the machine: The day at the squadron begins with the briefing for the combat sortie that the fighter pilots in this squadron are going to fly. After this, Sid and his squadron mates get into their G-suits and grab their helmets, oxygen masks and flying gear, and walk to their aircrafts. This is the part that Sid so loves – the sorties - the one on one time with his machine, the moments in the sky - flying through clouds, and slashing through sunbeams and Aviator’s rainbows.

Today ‘the boys’ (how young fighter pilots are referred to in a squadron) are going to fly over the valley. While it’s an amazing experience to fly your aircraft over lofty snow peaked mountains, valley flying sorties are also very challenging and demand extreme concentration and preparedness from the pilot. Sid needs to memorize every curve and dip of the valley because a wrong turn can be disastrous. But our young man here is up to the challenge and seizes the day with an ace sortie.

But the bit about a sortie that Sid doesn’t much enjoy is the de-brief session that follows. Long drawn out and according to him, boring, Sid fidgets through the two hour session, wondering when he can get on with those miscellaneous jobs that are piling up at his work station.

Boys will be boys: Lunch time is about a break, bonding and bonhomie around the lunch table. Sid rushes to the table in the cafeteria that is laden with goodies. He makes a beeline towards the lunch boxes of the married officers, snaps open the dessert compartment and pops in half a dozen plump gulab jamuns, spoonfuls of kheer and other sweet tidbits. In a few minutes, there are other young fighter pilots swarming around the table, digging into desserts. A fun ritual, the senior, married officers just nod their heads in mock disgust and tuck into their ‘dessert-free’ lunches.

A sortie and sunset: Post-lunch, the guys head to the briefing room for another sortie briefing. This time, there are only a few who are flying this combat sortie and Sid is glad he’ll be in the air again. But his happiness is short-lived. When he is informed that he will be flying with the CO, Wing Commander ‘Rusty’ Rustogi today, Sid gets a sinking feeling. Last time he’d flown with Winco (the CO is often called this), he had jumbled up a few things and the CO had been keeping an eye on him since then. While Sid is an enthusiastic and keen fighter pilot, his happy-go-lucky attitude doesn’t always work well when it comes to flying. And neither does his charm work on the senior officers, who watch over their juniors with hawk eyes.

But contrary to his worries, the sortie goes off fairly well; though Winco keeps the guys in the briefing room for a long time, de-briefing on all the finer points. It’s 5 pm already and all the squadron officers complete the last of their tasks for the day before packing up.

Fun and games: Back in his room, Sid gives a quick call to his girlfriend and then rushes out in his PT rig for a game of squash. After an hour of rigorous playing, he heads back to get ready for a cocktail party. There’s an informal get together at Winco’s home. It’s the first lady’s birthday and that calls for celebration. In fact, celebration is part of the services’ life. The men in uniform (and their better halves) believe in cherishing every moment and living it up in style.

There’s cake and cocktails at Winco’s place. The officers talk shop, while the women discuss the Ladies’ Club activities and the welfare meetings that they need to attend. A smart, young fellow officer brings out his guitar and sings one peppy number after another. Enthused, Winco makes his debut with an old love song, while one of the wives’ sings an evergreen ABBA number. This is followed by a game of dumb charades, a favourite at Air Force parties.

As the clock strikes 11, everyone files out in the order of seniority. There’s an air combat sortie early next morning and the fly boys want to be fresh for the action when they walk to their aircrafts, with the rays of the morning sun glinting on their Ray Bans, their helmets tucked under their arms.

Once in his room, Sid makes that ritual call to his girlfriend and they chat for sometime. At 11.30, he calls it a day and hits the sack. He sets his alarm and hopes that he is able to wake up on time for the morning briefing!

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Chandana Banerjee

Chandana is a journalist, writer and Certified Holistic Health Coach. She has 18 years of experience in writing for various media like websites, magazines, newspapers, e-books, print ads, e-learning and corporate communications. She writes extensively for magazines and websites in India and around the globe, taps out crisp content for small business owners, and works as a Holistic Health Coach at Luscious Health, her wellness centre. Chandana heads the Content Division of The Potter's Earth.

Married to an Air Force pilot, she lives and works all across the country.

Click on the following links to know more about her: http://pinkelephantwritingstudio.com, http://luscious-health.com/