IAF chief flies farewell sortie with Balakot hero Abhinandan Varthaman

Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa took the pilot's front seat and flew the entire sortie, while Abhinandan Varthaman occupied the co-pilot's rear seat

Indian Air Force (IAF) chief and veteran MiG-21 pilot, Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa, who will retire this month, flew his farewell sortie on Monday in a MiG-21 Bison fighter, with Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman as his co-pilot.

As the MiG-21 accelerated down the Pathankot airbase runway for its notoriously fast take-off, the sortie was laden with symbolism. Dhanoa and Varthaman are amongst the few IAF pilots who have flown combat missions against Pakistan — Dhanoa during the 1999 Kargil conflict and Varthaman on February 27, the day after the IAF strike on Balakot in Pakistan. Both pilots have experienced