Click to play videoYelahanka airbase: What does it take to give a new high to an Olympic gold medalist? A ride in a supersonic fighter aircraft!
Golden boy Abhinav Bindra did just that on Thursday, chasing a rare thrill of streaking through the skies in a rocket of an aircraft. The famous one-hour celebrity ride gave a push to the F-16 campaign at the Bangalore air show.
The dogfight for the world's biggest order for fighter aircraft has turned into a war for the eyeballs. Boeing is flying India's first cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma in the Super Hornet, the Russians have flown Air Marshal Masand, the first Indian commander of a MiG-29 squadron in a MiG-35, and Lockheed Martin – after courting journalists, has flown Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra.
A former US Navy pilot Paul Randall, who responds to the call-sign 'Bear', put the 26-year-old champion through fighter maneuvers at heights of up to 20,000 feet, at a breathless pace close to the speed of sound.
Abhinav’s father AS Bindra said there was no way he could resist the opportunity.
“The US Government invited him to take a ride in the F-16. He loves adventure,” AS Bindra said.
Abhinav ended his sortie looking a shade unsteady as most first-time fighter flyers would. He expressed as much emotion as he did after winning his historic Olympic gold, but let it be known that it was the thrill of a lifetime.
“It was the most exhilarating experience. F-16 is a great aircraft,” Abhinav said.
While Abhinav endorsed the F-16, his pilot returned the compliment.
“He was very calm and was given a good exposure to fighter flying,” Abhinav's pilot, Paul 'Bear' Randal said.
The ride was, clearly, heady for both Abhinav and those who flew him.
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