All stories by Air Commodore NITIN SATHE (Retd)
A Salute To An IAF Legend
Rediff.com3 hours ago'There cannot be anyone like Air Marshal Keelor -- he was so difficult to emulate.' Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd) salutes War Hero Air Marshal Denzil Keelor PVSM, KC, AVSM, VrC who passed into the ages last month.
The Day I Was Reborn
Rediff.com30 Aug 2024'We had been deceived by the clouds, taken to the brink of death, but saved by the Almighty.'
AMAZING! The Class 9 Dropout Who Is Building Helicopters
Rediff.com17 Feb 2024'Just because of my background and poor academic qualifications, most people disbelieve what I have done.'
The Fighter Absurdity Goes Beyond The Thinkable
Rediff.com31 Jan 2024Bullets fly, the noise becomes unbearable and the plot finally ends with the hero doing an unbelievable leap on to the ski of the helicopter aka Schwarzenegger, flown by our pretty heroine. UFF UFF! Squirming in my seat, I ponder over what I have been through, sighs Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
'We could make mincemeat of the Pakistanis'
Rediff.com5 Dec 2023'My adrenalin kicked in and the happiness returned! It was time to go in for the kill again.' IAF Veterans Group Captain Dilip Kumar Dass tells Air Commodore Nitin Sathe about how the IAF decimated tanks in the famous Battle of Longewala.
Tejas: Don't Get IAF Wrong!
Rediff.com2 Nov 2023'For god's sake, portray the armed forces in the correct manner,' asserts IAF veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe after watching Tejas.
A Flying Legend Takes Off For The Ages
Rediff.com31 Oct 2023Valhalla is undoubtedly enriched by the presence of Unnikrishnan Gangadharan Kartha. He would have already convened the 'fall in' and regaled his friends with tales of the distant land that they once inhabited.
When IAF Secretly Brought Prabhakaran To India
Rediff.com24 Jul 2023'With butterflies in our stomachs, but confident of our mission, we took off for Jaffna on the morning of 24 July 1987.' IAF Veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe recalls a conversation with Air Vice Marshal Harpal Singh Ahluwalia (retd), then a wing commander and mission leader for the clandestine operation.
Baipan Bhari Deva Review: Worth A Watch!
Rediff.com20 Jul 2023'I was quite taken in by the adept handling of a simple (yet complicated!) subject and had my share of laughs and tears by the time the curtain fell,' observes Nitin Sathe after watching the superhit Baipan Bhari Deva.
Traveling On A Vande Bharat Train
Rediff.com19 Jul 2023This is not a train for the regular commuter, evident from the number of large sized bags in the overhead bin, observes IAF Veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe.
Why We IAF Pilots Love Our Ray-Bans
Rediff.com9 Jun 2023'I was a young pilot in the IAF and Tom Cruise (with his genuine Ray-Bans) was now an icon with his sensational performance in Top Gun.' 'The IAF, maybe influenced by the movie, decided to 'issue' pilots Ray-Bans as part of their flying kit,' remembers IAF Veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe.
'I didn't want to be shot by my friends'
Rediff.com17 Dec 2022IAF Flying Officer Jawahar Lal Bhargava was forced to stayed in the POW camp at Rawalpindi for the year that followed only to be released in December 1972.
1971 War: Solitary Confinement In Pakistan
Rediff.com16 Dec 2022''I heard from the Pakistani brigadier that Flying Officer Pradeep Apte had been killed after he ejected safely and tried to escape. This news sent a chill up my spine. I had been lucky so far...'
'LCH Outperformed Other Aircraft In Ladakh'
Rediff.com3 Oct 2022All of India welcomes the Light Combat Helicopter into the Armed Forces arsenal and wishes it a safe tenure and happy shooting. May it rule the skies and ensure that the enemies are given a fitting reply when the need arises.
'We were a show of force to the enemy'
Rediff.com3 Oct 2022'Not a single bullet was fired, but we were warning the enemy not to continue with their antics!' IAF Veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe finds out how the Light Combat Helicopter, which will be inducted into the IAF on October 3, was designed, developed and flown.
When Queen Elizabeth Visited NDA
Rediff.com12 Sep 2022'I have never seen such a large parade being commanded with such precision just by a vocal word of command.' 'I would like to import this technology to England.' Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd), then a final year cadet at the National Defence Academy remembers Queen Elizabeth II's visit to NDA in November 1983.
'India needs 6 carriers like the Vikrant'
Rediff.com2 Sep 2022'... To ensure that the vast Indian Ocean Region remain peaceful.'
Vikrant: 'Multiple Celebration Of India'
Rediff.com2 Sep 2022In a record time of 13 years, the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Vikrant is now ready for formal induction into the Indian Navy.
Why Do Indians Have To Die in Congo?
Rediff.com2 Aug 2022Last week, two BSF troopers from Rajasthan, members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Congo, were killed by protestors. Do we need to lose lives fighting in a country not ours, in a war that is not ours and for a cause that is not ours, asks Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd), who served in the UNPKF in Congo.
'Who knows, the war would have taken a different turn, maybe!'
Rediff.com15 Jul 2022'The simultaneous fire from so many guns rained down on the enemy and pulverised them, a sight I can never forget till my last breath.'