Air crashes has not effected pilot recruitment: Air Marshal

Jorhat, Nov 20 (UNI) Air Marshal F H Major, AOC-in-C of Eastern Air Command, today asserted that frequent accidents of MIG 21 jets have not effected recruitment of pilots by the Indian Air Force (IAF) even as mishaps have reduced drastically.

Addressing a press meet at the Jorhat air force station to announce an Air awareness campaign from November 25, he said, " Accidents during trainings and even at later stages has not scared away young men willing to enlist as pilots for the force. " He informed that number of accidents in 2005-06 had been lowest in the past 15 years.

He said, " A number of remedial measures, greater safety and more in depth study of reasons of frequent crashes earlier has helped in brining down the trend drastically over the last one year. " " ilitary aviation is always more challenging than civil aviation and it will have takers in the young pilots, " he added.

On the frequent criticism of continued use of MIG 21 planes even after regular accidents, Air Marshal Major said, " It is not easy to phase out a set of fighter jets suddenly. With newer technologies, the IAF is enlisting new jets but the older ones need not be discarded. " He informed that Tezpur and Chabua Air Force stations had the oldest MIG-21 fleet of the 1960s and 85 per cent serviceability of these jets still existed.

" These air stations are a nursery school of pilots for the IAF and more than 1,500 have been produced here, " he added.

The Air Marshal maintained that the frequency of accidents would be cut down more.

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