Ashwinder was a short, happy, Gora and a well-groomed Sardar from Simla. Bravo Squadron mates remember him as a good team man, ever willing to extend his helping hand. He was energetic and full of concern for his friends. Harsh Vir Singh was blessed along with Soin to experience his friendship and support in his three terms in Bravo. He would go to any extent to support his buddies. Tenacious and mentally tough nothing could affect his happiness. Not even the worst afternoon sessions outside the ground floor Sergeant's cabin.

Innovative and always willing to experiment, unwilling to settle for a comfortable status quo, with a never-say-die attitude, and a steely resolve to achieve his objectives. He, despite no previous exposure, was naturally inclined to excel in PT. In the first term, three of them (Ashwinder, Soin & HV) used to visit Gurudwara to skip doing all kinds of errands for seniors during Sundays. Ashwinder's zeal in 'sewa' at the Gurudwara during events like the Gurpurab was infectious. Malhotra was a soft-spoken gentleman. His conduct with juniors and peers was friendly. But he was not to be mistaken as one without a voice. He stood firm with his ideas when needed.

Air Force Course (125 Pilots' Course) had come to the second stage of flying to Hakimpet (Secunderabad). Elementary Flying stage at Bidar had been very kind and absolutely safe. The course had no serious accidents during our Bidar stay. It was the very beginning of our training on the Polish Jet Trainer ISKRA (meaning Spark) that our course experienced the pain, shock and the grim reality of life.

Ashwinder crashed and died on his First Solo. First Solo on training aircraft is a lifetime event. Most of the coursemates on the ground that day saw the worst site and probably the first live crash in front of them. We could see the ISKRA hitting the ground next to the fence and exploding into flames. Safety Services reached the fence, but there were so many mini-explosions - happening due to fire bottles, oxygen bottles, ejection seat cartridges, accumulators - that there was no way Ashwinder could be reached in the crashed aircraft.

Incidentally, Purba and Ashwinder were under the same Flying Instructor Sqn Ldr NN Arora. They were roommates too. It was destiny that was taking him to Heavens. The day before the fateful morning, he had gone for his First Solo Check in the afternoon, and his aircraft's gyro had packed up. He was again planned for a check the next day. The following morning was the first flying despatch, and he cleared for his first solo sortie. While he had his breakfast, three aircraft were changed against his name, and he crashed on his first solo landing.

Ashwinder's tragic passing on was a big reality check for all coursemates. A whole lot of them witnessed the accident as it was the First Solo. His aircraft stalled, the left wing dropped, it flipped onto its back, and crashed on the left of the runway. That evening, all the instructors came to the Cadet's Mess to get them out of their gloom. Next day everyone flew again so that they would not get any time for negative thoughts. His funeral was devastating as it was the first one for 56 AF.

Ashwinder's funeral took place in Hakimpet. His parents and his sister were escorted and looked after by BS Purba (Ashwinder's roommate). Purba was visibly quiet after the family had left. He seemed to have been badly shaken by this accident. Purba's memories of his parents and sister mourning his untimely departure are still fresh in his mind. His sister incidentally got married to a Naval Officer, Cdr SS Gulati (Retd).

Malhotra was a non-controversial, conscientious, happy young man who left us very early. For the Air Force coursemates, he was the first air crash victim to be followed by so many in the first 8-10 years of service career. They remember the smiling Sardar from the hills very fondly! May God bless our dear friend.

Penned with inputs from Aneesh Chawla, Harsh Vir Singh, BS Purba and Rajiv Battish.

🙏May his soul rest in peace🙏