29-year-old Navy pilot flies Sainik School senior in decorated officer’s last sortie

Mumbai: This is one sortie Navy helicopter pilot Lieutenant Commander Nikhil Aher will remember for a long time.

The 29-year-old pilot flew his school senior and much decorated Navy officer Captain Kaustubh Gosavi in his Kamov Ka-31 helicopter in the latter’s last sortie, a day before he retired.

Capt Gosavi, who retired on July 31 after an eventful tenure of 34 years in the Navy's aviation wing, is a recipient of the prestigious Shaurya Chakra and a Nao Sena medal for gallantry.

He is a revered figure in the Navy's helicopter fleet, especially the Kamovs, and many like Lt Cdr Aher consider him a role model.

"When I got to know that there is a sortie planned for Gosavi sir, I seized the opportunity to fly him in his favourite flying machine," Lt Cdr Aher told PTI.

Both are alumni of Sainik School Satara, India's first sainik school, managed by the Ministry of Defence. While Capt Gosavi passed out in 1986, Lt Cdr Aher left the school in 2012 to join the National Defence Academy.

Lt Cdr Aher said Capt Gosavi was also the Commanding Officer of the Kamov Ka-31 Squadron in Goa and was a role model for the young air crew.

"He was in the batch which brought the Kamov Ka-31s from Russia in 2004. Growing up, he was our role model," said Lt Cdr Aher, who is 25 years junior to Capt Gosavi.

The Indian Navy operates a fleet of Kamov Ka-28 helicopters primarily for anti-submarine operations. Capt Gosavi is also a qualified Kamov Ka-28 pilot. He was later trained in Russia on Kamov Ka-31s that perform the Air Early Warning role.

The Navy operates a fleet of Kamov Ka-31s mainly for air reconnaissance. They are known as Falcons after the bird for their accurate spotting and lethal hunts.

Capt Gosavi was moved by the honour. "It was a poignant moment for me when the Kamov Ka-31 landed at INS Shikra on Tuesday after my last sortie. What made the occasion even more memorable was that my school junior was the pilot," Capt Gosavi said.

INS Shikra, formerly known as INS Kunjali, is a naval air station at Colaba in south Mumbai and is a heliport.

In 2015, Capt Gosavi was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for saving 15 lives in daring search and rescue missions. He was conferred with the Nao Sena Medal( gallantry) in 2014.

Shaurya Chakra is a military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct action with the enemy.

A water canon gun salute is given to pilots after the last landing of their flying career. The honour is also accorded for maiden landing at an airport.