IAF world record claim falls flat

The “new world record” for the fastest round-the-world microlight flight...

The “new world record” for the fastest round-the-world microlight flight may have inspired the IAF’s Republic Day tableau and won two of its pilots the Shaurya Chakra but it has clearly failed to impress the international governing body of aeronautical records.

Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the governing body for aerosports, has cancelled IAF’s record claim for the 80-day round-the-world flight due to “lack of documents or evidence” to back the feat.

While the two IAF pilots, Wing Commanders Rahul Monga and Anil Kumar, returned from the round-the-world flight in August last year, it seems that

an inordinate delay by the IAF in sending across the supporting documents due to “procedural problems” has led to cancellation of the record claim.

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“The record claim has been cancelled as no documents supporting it have been received by us within the stipulated time frame. Documentation supporting the claim has to be sent within 120 days of the flight to get a world record claim approved,” Thierry Montigneaux, Assistant Secretary General of the Switzerland-based FAI, told The Indian Express.

The IAF has refused comment on the issue but a blame game for the delay is set to break out at Air Hqs that had played up the “world record” as one of the highlights of its platinum jubilee celebrations.

“The documents could not be sent on time as international signatures of all the destinations they flew over have not been entered to their log books. Efforts are being made to expedite the process,” said an IAF source.

While the IAF is now planning to send across the necessary documents to FAI at the earliest, there seems to be little hope as officials say that delay in documentation is not a valid reason for an appeal against the cancellation.

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“There is not much ground for appeal as in this case no documents have come to us at all. It appears there is not sufficient evidence to support the claim,” Montigneaux said.

Besides bestowing the Shaurya Chakras, the microlight team had been showcased across the country for creating an Indian “world record”.

Air Chief Marshal F H Major had personally flagged in the expedition on August 19 last year and commended the pilots for creating the “world record”.

The FAI has confirmed that the fastest round-the-world microlight flight is held by Colin Bodill of UK who circumnavigated the earth at a speed of 16.53 km/hr in 2001. If proven, IAF’s claim of achieving 21.092 km/hr during the trip would have been the new record.