August 2012 - Indian Airforce

Sgt Biswajit Ghosh
Snakes have the dubious distinction of
scaring the living daylights out of people.
Therefore, the thought of encountering
one in your bathroom or car does send chills
down your spine. I believe there has been a
bizarre case of a snake taking a ride in the famous
Assam courier, though whether it was on the
Green Manifest or not is anybody’s guess. But I
am about to narrate the story of a snake fi nding
its way into the inner recesses of a MiG-21.
On a sunny afternoon in April 2009, a MiG-21
landed at one of the North Eastern airfi elds. As the
aircraft was nearing the parking bay, some people
saw a snake slithering up the landing gear of the
aircraft. The aircraft was parked separately for this
unrecorded emergency. In the meantime, the
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snake went up and found a cozy conduit to rest.
I was known in the station for catching snakes
and rescuing them. While people had the relief of
getting rid of the snake, I had the joy of rescuing
them and honing my skills. Generally, I got calls
from orderly offi cers or some friend panicking on
fi nding a snake in the house or in the offi ce. But,
the call on this day was a special one.
The SEO of the Sqn was on the phone and
called me over to the Sqn to pull out the snake
from the aircraft. By the time I changed my rig,
the air crew van had arrived at my house. Within
minutes, I was in front of the aircraft. I found that
one aircraft was kept separately on the tarmac
and at least 50 air warriors were standing around
it. Some of the eye witnesses informed me that
INDIAN AIR FORCE