Click to play videoYelahanka airbase As Ratan Tata emerged after his maiden flight on an F-16 on Thursday, all that the cameras could catch was a nervous smile.
But Friday was another day as a confident Tata took his second shot at flying a fighter jet — this time a Boeing F-18 Super Hornet.
In the air, the pilot, Todd Nelson handed over controls to Tata and the now seasoned co-pilot manoeuvered the aircraft for almost an hour. After the flight, he emerged all smiles and even had a few words at the end.
"I really enjoyed the flight. It was terrific. We spent some time trying to come in, so we loitered around the place. But I really got a feel of the plane both at low speeds and at high speeds," says Chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata.
Flying a military airplane was perhaps a dream come true for Tata. But many believe it's a Tata vs Tata battle pitched by Boeing and Lockheed Martin to push for India's multi-billion dollar aircraft deal that is coming up soon.
The US is among the front runners to win the Indian Air Force order for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft. Others in the race for the more than $7 billion dollar deal are the Swedish Saab Grippen, the Russian MiG and the French Falcon.
And analysts feel the latest flights by Tata are part of lobbying efforts by Boeing and Lockheed to push their case.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.