Ratan Tata not only had the passion to take the business forward, but was also adept at flying fighter planes. Ratan Tata was a licensed pilot. As long as his health remained good, he continued flying as a pilot. Most people might not know that Indian billionaire and former chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata, was the first Indian citizen to fly the F-16 Falcon fighter aircraft. In 2007, at the age of 69, he surprised everyone by flying the F-16 Falcon fighter jet. In fact, at an airshow in Bengaluru, Tata served as co-pilot of the F-16, which was flown by Paul Hattendorf, a test pilot for aircraft maker Lockheed Martin.
spent about 40 minutes in the air
The F-16 Block 50 fighter jet flown by Ratan Tata is worth more than Rs 400 crore. This jet can reach a speed of more than 2,000 km/h. Tata spent about 40 minutes in the air and even took over the controls mid-flight. He was obviously tired at the time of landing, he said about this flight – It was great. Let us tell you, almost a decade after becoming the first Indian to become the co-pilot of F-16, Tata has signed an important agreement with Lockheed Martin to produce F-16 Block 70 in India.