In this episode, we hear from Wg. Cdr. Joseph "Tommy" Thomas about his experiences as a young Dakota pilot in the 60s, flying vital supplies to soldiers in J&K in a fully loaded aircraft, threading his way through the valleys and operating at the margin of the performance envelope. We also hear about his experience flying the Photo Reconnaissance ("PR") Canberra, mapping the borders and the length and breadth of the country.

Wg. Cdr. Joseph "Tommy" Thomas was commissioned into the Transport stream of the IAF in 1962. He later qualified as a Test Pilot at USAF Test Pilot's School, Edwards AF Base, California and set up India's Test Pilot School and ran the first few Production TP courses. We will speak to him about his test flying experiences in Part 2 of this interview, next week.

His interview about mapping the country's border, referenced in this interview can be accessed at https://bangaloreinternationalcentre.org/audio/mapping-the-india-china-border-with-joseph-thomas/

Wg. Cdr. Thomas' profile can be seen at: http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/6496

Learn more about Canberras at: http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/aircraft/past/canberras.html
and PR Canberras in particular at: http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/aircraft/past/canberras/1310-canberra-chapter03.html#gsc.tab=0

Images courtesy Bharat Rakshak and their contributors.