Ratan Tata takes to the skies in F-18 Super Hornet fighter
Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata today took to the skies as he co-piloted US aerospace major Boeing's F-18, the Super Hornet, at the eighth edition of premier airshow, Aero India 2011.
Boeing is one of the six competitors bidding for the 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft deal touted to be valued at US$10 billion from the Indian Air Force.
An aviation enthusiast, Tata, who has also flown aircraft at earlier air shows, was in the air for around 45 minutes before the aircraft landed.
"I am excited", he said and described the F-18 "as a great aircraft".
The other competitors eyeing to garner the deal are Lockheed Martin's F-16 (US), the French Rafale, Swedish's Gripen, Russian MIG 35 and the European Eurofighter Typhoon.
Ratan Tata takes to the skies in F-18 Super Hornet - India - DNA
Ratan Tata repeats flying feat at 74
BS Reporter / Bangalore February 11, 2011, 0:19 IST
Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group, was the centre of attraction on the second day of Aero India 2011 by flying in a fighter jet. The 74-year old veteran of the Indian corporate world surprised everybody by flying in a F/A-18 of Boeing, repeating a feat he’d demonstrated in 2007.
“It takes a lot more to fly the F-18 as compared to a Falcon,” said Tata after returning to the ground.
The flight, piloted by Mike Wallace, saw Tata experiencing close to 7G — seven times the normal gravity force on the body. He’d undergone just the normal pre-flight briefing, without much of the medical tests. “We did some aerobatics and we went high….I would love to do it again,” he said.
A known aviation enthusiast and a regular at the Aero India shows, he made the first dramatic entry in the 2007 edition, having co-piloted both the F-16 and F-18 on successive days.
Bollywood actor Shahid Kapur is expected to fly on the F-16 of the Lockheed Martin on Saturday at the Aero India show. The previous edition of Aero India had witnessed the only individual Olympic gold medalist from India, Abhinav Bindra, flying in a F-16.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ratan-tata-repeats-flying-feat-at-74/424775/
Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata today took to the skies as he co-piloted US aerospace major Boeing's F-18, the Super Hornet, at the eighth edition of premier airshow, Aero India 2011.
Boeing is one of the six competitors bidding for the 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft deal touted to be valued at US$10 billion from the Indian Air Force.
An aviation enthusiast, Tata, who has also flown aircraft at earlier air shows, was in the air for around 45 minutes before the aircraft landed.
"I am excited", he said and described the F-18 "as a great aircraft".
The other competitors eyeing to garner the deal are Lockheed Martin's F-16 (US), the French Rafale, Swedish's Gripen, Russian MIG 35 and the European Eurofighter Typhoon.
Ratan Tata takes to the skies in F-18 Super Hornet - India - DNA
Ratan Tata repeats flying feat at 74
BS Reporter / Bangalore February 11, 2011, 0:19 IST
Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group, was the centre of attraction on the second day of Aero India 2011 by flying in a fighter jet. The 74-year old veteran of the Indian corporate world surprised everybody by flying in a F/A-18 of Boeing, repeating a feat he’d demonstrated in 2007.
“It takes a lot more to fly the F-18 as compared to a Falcon,” said Tata after returning to the ground.
The flight, piloted by Mike Wallace, saw Tata experiencing close to 7G — seven times the normal gravity force on the body. He’d undergone just the normal pre-flight briefing, without much of the medical tests. “We did some aerobatics and we went high….I would love to do it again,” he said.
A known aviation enthusiast and a regular at the Aero India shows, he made the first dramatic entry in the 2007 edition, having co-piloted both the F-16 and F-18 on successive days.
Bollywood actor Shahid Kapur is expected to fly on the F-16 of the Lockheed Martin on Saturday at the Aero India show. The previous edition of Aero India had witnessed the only individual Olympic gold medalist from India, Abhinav Bindra, flying in a F-16.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ratan-tata-repeats-flying-feat-at-74/424775/
he was joking..
