He flew 57 sorties in one month, helped the Indian Army in troop induction, evacuation of the injured, air-dropped supplies besides carrying out offensive operations against the Pakistani hideouts.
Wing Commander M.D. Aiyanna (retd.) of Kodagu now settled in Mysuru was then a 23-year-old Flying Officer who saw action early in his career after being inducted into the Indian Air Force on April 18, 1964.
He also had the distinction of flying the then President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan who visited Srinagar and surrounding areas during the peak of war, and later Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Speaking to The Hindu in the run up to the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war, Aiyanna recalled that he was stationed at 109 Helicopter Unit at Chandigarh and got orders to assist the Indian Army in the Kutch area.
“This was before the actual hostilities began on ground sometime in August. We moved to the north of Bhuj in Gujarat and assisted the Indian Army in troop deployment before leaving for Chandigarh in June,” said Wing Commander Aiyanna (retd.).
23/09/15 R. Krishna Kumar/The Hindu
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Wing Commander M.D. Aiyanna (retd.) of Kodagu now settled in Mysuru was then a 23-year-old Flying Officer who saw action early in his career after being inducted into the Indian Air Force on April 18, 1964.
He also had the distinction of flying the then President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan who visited Srinagar and surrounding areas during the peak of war, and later Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Speaking to The Hindu in the run up to the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war, Aiyanna recalled that he was stationed at 109 Helicopter Unit at Chandigarh and got orders to assist the Indian Army in the Kutch area.
“This was before the actual hostilities began on ground sometime in August. We moved to the north of Bhuj in Gujarat and assisted the Indian Army in troop deployment before leaving for Chandigarh in June,” said Wing Commander Aiyanna (retd.).
23/09/15 R. Krishna Kumar/The Hindu
