A recent headline says:
One of my loyal readers (yes, I do have a few) sent me this screenshot and asked why the strip was unfeasible.
The IAF, never boastful about its achievements, had posted a modest message on social media.
Many headlines say that the mission was difficult.
I beg to differ.?
The mission was not just difficult; it was downright dangerous.
Allow me to explain.?
In another article I have mentioned:?
Military flying involves harsh manoeuvring at the limits of aircraft and pilots’ performance.?
And this is not only for the fighters.?
It applies equally to transport planes and helicopters who also fly in extreme weather over unforgiving terrain.?
In military flying, the margin of error is negligible and the penalty for a mistake is often a certain death.
No better example to explain the statement than this mission.
I, as an airline pilot, land on long and well-lit runways with a lot of landing aids, like the Instrument Landing System (ILS), Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI), and bright lighting.
Now imagine landing on this runway, with slightly more daylight, with no lights.?
Does it seem simple enough?
It is not, because in the absence of ILS, regulations forbid us from landing if the PAPI is not working, even in broad daylight.?
PAPI comprises the two white and two red lights you see on the left of the runway. Those lights help us pilots visually assess the approach angle and tell us if we are too high or low, because that could be dangerous.?
Dangerous because if too low, you could hit the ground before the runway, and if too high, you could land and then overshoot the runway.?
But the runways I land on are around 9,000 feet long. The runway at Maa Ganga Airport is only 3,000 feet long.
Also, most runways are 150 feet in width, and this one is only 50 feet.?
And there are no landing aids.?
Plus, there are mountains all around.
At first glance, what do you see in the picture above? Only the threatening peaks, right?
Now you see the short and narrow strip.
Although it is called an airport, it does not feature in the list of Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) airports.
Also, no airline or charter flight operates to and from there.
Why?
This picture shows the rescue site from the strip and also the rising terrain after the runway.
That means, if the approach to a landing is too high or low, or anything else goes wrong, you cannot abort the landing and go around to attempt another, and you cannot climb above the mountain ahead, and you cannot turn around in the narrow valley.
In short, once you enter the valley from the south, you have no choice except a landing.?
Imagine a situation like that.
Flying among mountains in just 1.5-kilometre visibility, carrying heavy equipment and landing without any guidance, with no escape route, and having to stop on a narrow and short runway.
There is simply no margin for error.
Now you understand why no one else wants to fly to that place.
The disused runway was so bad that bushes and weeds had grown on and around the strip, and those had to be cleared before considering a landing there.
During an assessment earlier, even the IAF had declared the airstrip unusable, and only helicopters landed there when required.
Helicopters can take off and land vertically, so they do not face the difficulties that bigger airplanes do.?
But helicopters are smaller, and cannot carry huge drilling equipment required at the collapsed tunnel.
Our Hercules crew flew there in a helicopter, assessed the area and the approach to the runway, inspected the strip and took a calculated risk, because our workers are stuck inside the collapsed tunnel, and delays could cost their lives.
In a herculean effort, these pilots and load-masters risked their own lives to save the workers.
Now that you understand just how dangerous this mission was, please join me in saluting these Air Warriors.
Warriors, because they not only fight the enemy during wars, they fight and overcome impossible odds even in peacetime, to help our fellow citizens.
With inputs from Air Marshal Rajeev Sachdeva, a veteran transport pilot.
The writer is a former fighter pilot of the IAF and is now a commercial airline pilot. He is the author of three novels and many blog posts, available at?www.avinashchikte.com