Kozhikode:The Air Force trial flight to Kannur in February 2017 was piloted by Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar of the Ayilliyath family here. Creating a record of sorts, his son Aswin Nambiar, 29, will pilot the first commercial flight of 'Go Air' to Kannur on Sunday. It will take off from Delhi at 8.30 a.m. and land at KIAL at 11.30 a.m., making the father and son heroes in the eyes of the people of Kannur.
It may be recalled that legendary Communist leaders A.K. Gopalan and E.K. Nayanar belong to the same family.
Raghunath Nambiar is now the Deputy Chief of Staff (DCAS) of Indian Air Force (IAF), the third top post at the headquarters. He is the first Malayali to hold the post.
An experimental test pilot, with over 4,700 hours of flying experience in some 35 types of fighter, transport and helicopters, Mr Nambiar has about 2,300 hours experience on the Mirage-2000 alone, which is an Indian record.
Aswin told Deccan Chronicle that he loved flying from his childhood days. "When my father landed in Kannur, it was a surprise as he was staying in Bangalore and did not tell us about the Air Force mission. It was a proud moment for us," he said and added that it would be double joy as he would be flying the first commercial flight to Kannur.
With his maternal home in Kozhikode, he used to visit both the districts and cherish fond memories of the state though he lives in Delhi.
