Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata was a man who wore many hats. Apart from being a visionary industrialist and a philanthropist, the late legendary businessman was also a licensed pilot.
He showcased his aviation skills by flying an F-16 fighter jet and later an F-18 Super Hornet at the 2007 Aero India Show conducted in Bengaluru.
US defence defense and aerospace contractor Lockheed Martin had invited Tata to co-pilot the F-16 fighter jet, and the ace businessman, who had a license to fly both jets and helicopters, took to the skies on the single-engine multirole fighter aircraft, developed by General Dynamics.
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He later called the experience “ unbelievable.” Ratan Tata flew at low altitudes-around 500 feet-at 600 knots.
The very next day, he again took to the skies, this time on a bigger and more powerful Boeing's F-18 Super Hornet, a carrier-capable multirole fighter aircraft designed for the US Navy.
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A few years later, he took to social media to share the memory of these adventures. In December 2019, in an Instagram post, the business tycoon wrote: “I look forward with excitement to the new decade ahead, which is a great time to be relevant, to stand for causes you believe in, to create something from scratch, make special connections, laugh, and write a little bit of history. Here’s one of my favourite moments from this decade, flying the F18 Super Hornet at the Bangalore Aero Show.”
