New Delhi, Dec. 31 -- It had been my dream, since I was a youngster, to fly fighter aircraft. But I was an engineer, with a BE (Mech & Elec) Hons degree, and didn't have the slightest idea of how I could even go near an aircraft. Then a friend suggested I could join the Air Force. I thought that was a brilliant idea and immediately applied for enrolment in the Indian Air Force. To cut a long story short, I was selected and was told to report to the TTC (Technical Training College) in Bangalore on 4 April 1955, which I eagerly did and was given the rank of Pilot Officer in the Tech (Eng) branch. The technical training was carried out by a team of ex-RAF officers and SNCOSs and our Passing Out Parade was on 26 September 1956. My first posting...