By Newspatron
“He had all the right ingredients — courage, determination, capability, enthusiasm and perhaps the little madness associated with all of us.”
Ever heard about an Indian Navy Sailor who stole an Indian Navy Hawker Sea Hawk to satisfy his urge of flying after he failed to join the Indian Air Force?
Leading Aircraft Ordnance Mechanic Ajit Singh Gill had a long urge to fly fighter planes and his ambition to be seated into one was not fulfilled since the Indian Navy only allowed Officers to fly Aircraft. Gill was not only a Mechanic but also a trained pilot possessing a Private Pilots’ Licence (PPL) after he trained himself on single-engine aircraft in Delhi Flying Club and also built aero models in his free time. After joining the Navy, he rose to become a Naval Aircraft Ordnance Mechanic and was placed in INAS 300 Squadron “White Tiger”. However, Gill’s urge to fly fighters was still unsatisfied as he tried to make two failed attempt to join Air Force as an emergency commissioned officer. Frustrated and agitated by the fact that his flying license has also lapsed and he cannot make a cut into Air Force, drove him to a breaking point.
On the Sunday Morning of August 12, 1964, Gill just strapped himself upon on a Sea Hawk numbered IN-163 without wearing a Bone Dome, and took off in the skies of Chennai buzzing the INS Vikrant. He had taught himself on the flight controls as he casually asked the Pilots about them while helping them strap into their cockpit. The Air Traffic Controller went full berserk as they realized Gill was off his duty and the Sea Hawk was piloted by him. Attempts to contact him were futile, as he did not have the Bone Dome to communicate with Ground Men. Using all the knowledge he possessed, he satisfied his urge on a Fighter Plane but soon realized he could not land the aircraft back at the Airport.
He lacked knowledge about the brakes and flaps so he instead landed the aircraft on water ( becoming the first Indian to land a Sea Hawk on water), off Tiruvanmiyur Beach as he was found unconscious on the water surface by local fishermen.
He was sentenced to Two-Year Imprisonment under Section 74 of the Navy Act, not for stealing a fighter aircraft, but for his absence at a given place and time which was a breach of code and conduct. After completing his sentence he just disappeared and was never known since then. On Ajit’s case, Veteran Carrier Pilot Admiral Vinod Pasricha commented :
“I think Ajit would have made an excellent fighter pilot. He had all the right ingredients — courage, determination, capability, enthusiasm and perhaps the little madness associated with all of us.”
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