Kalam on wings of fire
President Kalam had last month undertaken a sea journey in a kilo-class submarine of the Indian Navy, becoming the first Indian Head of State to go underwater, and had also visited soldiers at the Siachen Glacier.
Wing Commander Rathore took the flight to about 7.5 km above ground level and flew at 1.25 Mach (one and a quarter times the speed of sound).
"The President took control of the flight for roughly five to 10 minutes. He had absolute control over the flight in mid-air," Rathore said.
The President also had to operate switches that were important in helping the pilot, which he did smoothly without any hindrance, Rathore said.
Image: The President gets off the Sukhoi after his 40-minute flight
Also See: An exclusive: Children chat with the President