Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha today took his maiden flight in India's home grown Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, calling it good for induction. An ace pilot himself, Raha is the first Chief of Air Staff to fly the indigenously designed and produced Tejas. He flew about a 30-minute over Bengaluru skies around the HAL airport in Bengaluru. Group Captain M Rangachari was with him in the twin-seater trainer aircraft.<br/><br/>During the sortie, the Air chief checked for himself the take off, climb performances and agility of the aircraft by carrying out aerobatic manoeuvres. A defence release said this was also an opportunity to see the integration of avionics, simulated weapon integration and to get a feel of operational capability during the flight.

Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha today took his maiden flight in India's home grown Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, calling it good for induction. An ace pilot himself, Raha is the first Chief of Air Staff to fly the indigenously designed and produced Tejas. He flew about a 30-minute over Bengaluru skies around the HAL airport in Bengaluru. Group Captain M Rangachari was with him in the twin-seater trainer aircraft.<br/><br/>During the sortie, the Air chief checked for himself the take off, climb performances and agility of the aircraft by carrying out aerobatic manoeuvres. A Defence release said, this was also an opportunity to see the integration of avionics, simulated weapon integration and to get a feel of operational capability during the flight.