IAF flies 80-year-old aircraft from Delhi to Vadodara

"I enjoyed flying it," Group Captain D S Dangi said, talking to reporters here.

The 'de Havilland DH82 Tiger Moth' is a two-seater, single-bay bi-lane powered by a 145-horse power Gypsy Major four-cylinder inverted air-cooled engine.

It was the primary trainer aircraft for the Royal Air Force during World War II and was also the basic trainer aircraft in the IAF, right from 1940.

IAF training schools operated the Tiger Moth until it was later replaced by the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) designed and manufactured two-seater primary trainer called 'Hindustan HT-2', Air Commodore Sodhi said.

"This shows IAF's technical expertise and capabilities in flying it from Delhi to Vadodara, before taking it to Bengaluru. It could have been transported to Bengaluru through other means, but the IAF decided to fly it there," he said.

Sodhi said the story of IAF's growth and development, from its nascent days, to its present position as one of the world's largest air forces, is a tribute to the vision, commitment and dedication of its men through the years.