IAF heritage centre takes the wheel of PEC’s prized ‘Kanpur-1’ aircraft

The single-engine rare machine designed and built by late Air Vice-Marshal Harjinder Singh VSM 1, MBE in 1958 will be displayed at the Indian Air Force (IAF) Heritage Centre being set up at Sector 18

The aeronautical engineering division of Punjab Engineering College (PEC) on Monday hosted the handover ceremony of Air Force Kanpur-1 Vintage Prototype Aircraft.

PEC director Baldev Setia and Air Marshal R Radhish at the handover ceremony in Chandigarh. (Keshav Singh/HT)

The single-engine rare machine designed and built by late Air Vice-Marshal Harjinder Singh VSM 1, MBE in 1958 will be displayed at the Indian Air Force (IAF) Heritage Centre being set up at Sector 18.

The aircraft — said to have been gifted to PEC by Singh — was handed over by PEC director Baldev Setia to Air Marshal R Radhish AVSM VM, SASO, HQ, Western Air Command, at the Aeronautical Engineering Division of PEC.

The Air Marshal highlighted that having this aircraft in IAF Heritage Centre will not only hold heritage values, it will also build a strong relationship between Punjab Engineering College and Indian Air Force.

The IAF Heritage Centre will comprise of artefacts, simulators and interactive boards, in order to highlight the various facets of IAF.

IAF, meanwhile, will be working out for other aspects of cohesion and understanding with PEC like on job training of students from PEC and interactions in formal structure to further strengthen the bond of trust and professionalism.