Former Group Captain of the Indian Air Force Abhinandan Varthaman, who came into limelight after shooting down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet in a dogfight with Pakistan in 2019, has now joined the civil aviation sector after retiring from the Air Force. It is reported that Abhinandan Varthaman has joined Goa's regional airline FLY91 as a pilot.
According to the information, Varthaman retired after serving in the Indian Air Force for almost 22 years. He started working as a pilot in private airline FLY91 in August. However, Abhinandan Varthaman has not yet made any public comment regarding this. FLY91 company spokesperson has also refused to give more information, saying that the personal information of employees is private.
In the news because of the air battle of 2019
Following the Pulwama terror attack, India conducted air strikes in Balakot on February 26, 2019. After that, on 27 February, there was a clash between the air forces of India and Pakistan. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was flying MiG-21 Bison at that time. It is written about his Vir Chakra that he shot down the F-16 fighter jet of Pakistani Air Force during the air battle. His MiG-21 also crashed and was captured by Pakistan.
After using parachute from the aircraft, Abhinandan landed in Pakistan occupied area. Then he was caught by the Pakistani army. After being held hostage for about three days, he was handed over to India on March 1, 2019. For his courage and devotion to duty during the entire incident, Abhinandan Varthaman was awarded the Vir Chakra. Vir Chakra is India's third highest wartime gallantry award.
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