An unwavering commitment to the nation - is the statement that comes instantly to mind at the mere mention of his name. A veteran transport flyer of the Indian Air Force, he has to his credit over 7000 hours of flying and a legacy etched across Himalayan skies, because this is where he made history and will be remembered as the first pilot to land at the treacherous Daulat Beg Oldi, for which he received the Shaurya Chakra award - a first for a Vidarbhaite. Each mission that he undertook where nature’s forces were his biggest foes, was but a test of will for this brave soldier. From the perilous heights of Daulat Beg Oldi to the humanitarian chaos of Uttarakhand and Yemen, testing both man and machine - was a challenge. But he, undaunted, always stood tall. And with each new mission, he returned more fearless, fiercer, and more determined. Air Vice Marshal Suryakant Chafekar (Retd) - AVSM, Shaurya Chakra - is not just a highly decorated officer of the Indian Air Force; he is a legend whose name is forever carved in the icy silences of the Himalaya. Gracing The Hitavada’s The People's Mic, AVM Suryakant Chafekar goes down memory lane while talking to Aasawari Shenolikar, Deputy Editor & Digital Head of The Hitavada. Having always lived on the edge, the Himalayas had always fascinated him.

 

“I wanted to bury the talks that prevailed during those times - that landing an aircraft in the most strategic border locations - was impossible.” That conviction earned him the charge of landing at Kargil airfield. The event was huge - inauguration of the airfield which was a critical point on India’s border map. “The terrain in the Himalayas is unforgiving and most time of the year it is snow-covered. If the cloud cover dips, the entire valley turns into a blinding white bowl with near-zero visibility. During such moments, instruments are useless. It’s the pilot’s vision, instinct, and memory of the field that comes into play,” he stated. D day arrived. On February 18, 2002, when he was ferrying Air Marshal V K Bhatia Western Command AOC-in-C for the landing, just as the Kargil Airfield came into their field of vision, they heard a loud thud and the aircraft jerked violently.

 

An alarm pierced the cockpit. Fire. A bird hit, they presumed. One engine was gutted. What followed was a 31-minute battle against brutal weather, relying solely on skill and nerve. They landed safely, not at Kargil, but at Leh. The incidents on that flight stayed with him for years - with a pride that took a beating and a huge sense of disappointment. “Looking back, it was the toughest mission of my career. Yet, I was pulled up for it, not honoured,” he reminisces. The line between reprimand and commendation is razor-thin, and he was determined to prove he had done no wrong. That resolve placed him at the forefront of another mission - even more strategic, and far more daunting. Daulat Beg Oldi, at 16,700 feet, sits almost on the LAC, a frozen inaccessible outpost. It is the rooftop of the world, bordered by five international frontiers.

 

With China’s strong network looming over the region, it was imperative that India too marked its presence here. Experts - technical, soil, structural - were unanimous: no aircraft could land there. At that altitude, bitumen was useless. The airstrip would need to be compacted manually! Chafekar refused to concede. “We will make it happen,” he insisted. A road roller’s central drum was airlifted. The jawans at the site pulled it manually, with poles on their shoulders, carving out a 3.5 km landing strip in record time. When the day arrived, on May 31, 2008 when he was CO of No 48 Squadron IAF, he did not betray the faith Late Air Marshal Pranab Barbora PVSM AVSM, VM, also AOC-in-C Western Command had placed in him. He became the first pilot to land an aircraft at Daulat Beg Oldi - an achievement for which he was awarded the Shaurya Chakra.

 

“This honour is not mine alone,” he says, voice thick with emotion. “I owe it to every soldier who helped turn an impossible dream into reality.” After that, there was no looking back for this courageous soldier, who, the same year, landed an Antonov An 32 at Fukche, another strategic location for India. A year after that, in September 2009, it was at Nyoma, ALG where he successfully set down the machine, again an Antonov An 32, which he says is tailor-made for Indian conditions. The hour and a half long interaction touched upon many aspects and facets of Chafekar, who has penned down a book titled Shades of Blue that delves into his journey.

 

He mentors those appearing for the Staff Selection Board, free of cost. And is a popular guest at corporate houses across the world where he shares his wisdom and knowledge. A die-hard fan of Todd Henry’s Die Empty, he unleashes his best work every day. And quotes extensively from his own life, “For my life is only sensation, and people love sensation.” Subscribe to The Hitavada’s YouTube channel @TheHitavada1911and watch this exemplary soldier talk why Services is not just a job, “It’s pure devotion.” n