Hyderabad: Air Vice Marshal C.V. Parker (retd), the only Maha Vir Chakra awardee from the IAF in the Telugu states, is among the celebrated fighter pilots. He played a crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, commanding the Lightnings, as Squadron No. 20, is called.
Equipped with Hunter aircraft, the squadron attacked air bases deep in enemy territory. He was given nation's second highest gallantry award for his attack on Peshawar.
The officer, who was born a year before the Indian Air Force was formed, is a resident of Vayupuri, is a pupil of the Great Indian Escape hero Flt. Lt. Dilip Parulkar.
AVM Parker (retd) has flown 22 types of aircraft and has logged 3,850 flying hours in his 35-year career. His squadron was the second most decorated in the IAF. The AVM recalled, “The attack on Peshawar on December 4 was a classic in air warfare. Earlier, only Canberras had dared to fly all the way to the air base in Pakistan and bomb it. On that day, our Hunters flew almost 75 minutes and pulled up over the Peshawar airfield, and executed the operation.”
He said the raid was special as the four aircraft of the strike force damaged Pakistan’s deepest air base from which the enemy could no longer operate. He was conferred the Maha Vir Chakra award for the attack
AVM Parker (retd) was commissioned into the IAF as a pilot officer in 1951 and served in the fighter stream all through. He served with the squadron as Flight Commander during the 1962 war. He missed the war in 1965 he was on deputation in the US, but made up for it in 1971.
“I encountered three major flying accidents but survived all of them,” he said with a chuckled while sitting at his residence in Vayupuri.
A double masters degree holder, AVM Parker (retd) also served as Commanding Officer of the IAF training school at Hakimpet, Dundigal and in Jammu and Kashmir.
