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Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Tuesday bid farewell to his more than four decades long and glorious air journey in military uniform in a very emotional and historic manner. Ahead of his impending retirement, the Air Chief flew his last flight in the HJT-16 Kiran Mk-1 jet training aircraft. The most unprecedented and heart-touching thing about this flight was that his first flight instructor, Wing Commander VS Kochhar (Retd.) was present in the cockpit as co-pilot, who had taught him the first lesson of flying fighter aircraft in the Air Force 42 years ago in 1984. The Air Chief touching the heights of the sky with his first Guru in the same historic aircraft became a unique and immortal example of Guru-Shishya tradition and unbreakable soulful relationship in military history.
According to official information received from New Delhi, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Wing Commander VS Kochhar (retd) flew together in Kiran trainer aircraft with tail number ‘U 707’. This special 55-minute flight was not just a military exercise in circling the sky, but it was a complete life cycle of four decades of continuous service, sacrifice, discipline and military dedication. As the Kiran aircraft roared from the runway and took off towards the sky, the eyes of senior Air Force officers, young pilots and technicians present on the ground became moist after seeing this historic scene. For Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, the journey was a golden opportunity to conclude his service in military uniform as well as to return to the sacred cockpit and the company of his first Guru, who had given true wings to his dreams as a young cadet in the 1980s.
After the successful landing, when the Air Chief Marshal came out of the plane with his first instructor, he while talking to reporters described his experience as ‘a dream come true’. He said emotionally that he had started his entire Air Force career with this Kiran aircraft and today completing his last official flight in the same aircraft is an indescribable feeling. The Air Chief Marshal said that he is probably the only Chief of the Indian Air Force who is retiring while still in active service in the same aircraft with which he started his career for the first time. He bowed and expressed his gratitude towards his first instructor Wing Commander VS Kochhar (Retd) and reminded that it was at this very place on 28 January 1984 that Kochhar Sir had taught him to fly Kiran aircraft for the first time at this very place. Today, after four decades, his life and career have come full circle with his last flight at the same place, in the same plane and in uniform with the same Guru.
The participation of Wing Commander VS Kochhar (Retd) in the cockpit made this farewell ceremony an example at the international level. This once again placed that guide alongside the same student, who is formally concluding his career today by becoming the Supreme Commander of the entire Air Force of the country. In the field of military aviation, instructors not only teach the technical nuances of flying, but they also inculcate in a young cadet the ability to make quick decisions under extraordinary pressure, steely discipline, indomitable courage and unwavering self-confidence. This respect and closeness between guru and disciple remains lifelong, even decades after the formal training has ended. The indigenously built HJT-16 Kiran aircraft, which has played a historic role in molding several generations of brave fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force, made this farewell moment even more glorious.
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh is formally retiring from the post of Chief of the Indian Air Force at the end of this month i.e. on 31 October 2026. After his retirement, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit will take over as the new chief of the Indian Air Force. This farewell flight of AP Singh may have concluded his formal military journey in the sky, but his historic contribution to the modernization, indigenization and strategic strengthening of the Air Force during his decades of service will always be remembered in Indian defense history. At the same time, HJT-16 Kiran aircraft will continue its services in training operations to make the young cadets of the Indian Air Force into sky warriors in the coming times.