By Gp Capt PM Velankar VM (Retd)
Foxed by the title, Read on to unravel the mystery.
After being part of 22 Squadron for almost 5 years from 1969 to 1974, In July of that year, I was posted to 5 BRD Sulur. This was not my first visit to that place as I had ferried Gnats from 22 Squadron to Sulur for a major overhaul and also accepted, air tested Gnat aircraft after completion of a major overhaul and ferried them to 22 Squadron. However during those ferries even in my wildest dreams, I had not imagined that I would be posted there not once but for two tenures and would spend almost six years at that place and have some wonderful times.
I was posted to do an air test on overhauled Gnat aircraft and clear them for allotment to the Gnat Squadrons. Production task ( number of aircraft to be overhauled ) for the financial year was given by Air Headquarters. So 31 March assumed vast significance in the scheme of things at the BRD. All sorts of rotables and a very large number minor and major items like a canopy for re-bubbling, main undercarriage oleo legs, aero-engine etc were removed from the aircraft received for major servicing and sent to HAL Bangalore for servicing as BRD was neither equipped nor had qualified personnel to do the job. While HAL was doing their job, technicians at BRD stripped the airframe carried out the servicing of the airframe, fuel cells, change on power looms replacing the cables and the wiring etc etc . There was always mad rush and race against time to finish the task against all odds of provisioning, servicing and mainly against lack of timely supply of rotables from HAL Bangalore.
The less said about the work culture at Public Sector undertakings the better it is. I do not know how things are now but only thing good which can be said about the HAL Bangalore of those days was the cost and the quality of executive lunch in Officers Canteen. ( by the time I went on deputation to HAL even that had gone to dogs as a cost-saving measure ) . So it was no wonder that It was a herculean task to get back in the right time , the serviced rotatables sent to HAL.
That is how it came to pass that in that year all the servicing schedule on four Gnats was over. The aircraft were ready to be offered for the air test. Even one air test on these would mean achieving the task by FOUR aircraft !! However, only one aircraft was offered for airtest and flown. The other three aircraft could not be offered for flying even though ready in every respect because Artificial Horizon (A/H) was missing from these aircraft !!!! A/H sent for servicing to HAL Bangalore were still awaited. Protracted correspondence had not yielded the desired results. Frantic calls had the same results. As a final solution, it was decided to cannibalise the only available A/ H to the other aircraft and do the air test. Till such time remaining A/H were received, these four aircraft were flown with that single A/H !!!!
I remember another time when main wheel tyres were not available in almost exactly the same circumstances except that HAL was not a guilty party at that time. It was then that a single pair of main wheels were cannibalised to fly three/four aircraft ( I forget the exact number ).
It speaks volumes for our Technical Officers and technicians and a tribute to them that even against all odds they always delivered the goods, then, and continue to do so today. The Gnat kingpins Shaukat & Sylam were in charge of Gnat floor those days.
Sir my hats off to you and our Technical Officers and men who do the impossible !!!
Today being Air Force day let us touch the sky with glory.
COMMENTS.
K SANJEEVAN.
Dear Velu, You really did touch the sky with glory, in them days. Sanjeevan
SASHI RAMDAS .
As usual, extremely well written!!! I never realised you wrote so well. A most "readable" style! Rgds...................... Shashi
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