Chandigarh is home to a major transport base of the Indian Air Force. The 12 Wing is based there comprising of an Il-76 Squadron and a MiG-21 Unit. In its history, Chandigarh was home to No.28 Squadron, the first unit to operate MiG-21s in the country. A C-119 Packet is rumoured to be on the Station but is not confirmed. 12 Wing however has a war memorial where two MiG-21 Bis have been recently installed in 2003 on poles.

Chandigarh is also home to 3 Base Repair Depot, a major maintainance unit under the command of an Air Commodore. 3BRD specialises in overhaul of transport aircraft and in Mil-8 /17 Helicopters.

In January 2004, a decommissioned Mil Mi-4 Z-1381 was presented to the Punjab Engineering College by the 3 Base Repair Depot of Chandigarh. The Mi-8 was from the one of very first batch acquired by the Indian Air Force in 1971 which had neared the end of its total technical life. The move to present this helicopter was initiated by one of the AOCs of 3 BRD, Air Cmde Parasher who retired in 2002.

Mi-8 Z-1381, which was handed over to Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, being towed to the college on January 16, 2004. — Tribune photo by Pankaj Sharma

Air Cdre SPS. Virk, Air Officer Commanding, 3 BRD, Air Force Station, Chandigarh (extreme left), and Air Cdre SB Prashar (retd) hand over the log books of the MI 8 helicopter to Dr Baljeet Kapoor, Principal of Punjab Engineering College, at a function on 29 January 2004. — Tribune photo by Manoj Mahajan

Z-1381 was installed on PEC premises and officially handed over on the 29th of January 2004 by the AOC 3 BRD, Air Cdr SPS Virk. The PEC Principal Dr Baljeet Kapoor took charge of the logbooks.

It is pertinent here to mention that PEC, Chandigarh has an impressive collection of aircraft of its own. Thanks to the help of late Air Vice Marshal Harjinder Singh, PEC is the owner of the much coveted Supermarine Spitfire XVIII, the rare and historic IAF Kanpur I and an Auster Aiglet.

[Acknowledgements: Tribune India]