Continued:
She said the President had also told them that as part of IAF family they should feel proud of it.
When asked about her meeting with the defence minister George Fernandes, Kavita Gadgil said that she had told the defence minister that his single flight in the MIG-21 would not help in any manner.
"I told him that he should not undertake the flight because the entire Ambala station would be working round the clock on the particular jet that he was about to fly in. Besides he is being flown by an air force officer and Fernandes would not have any control over the aircraft and hence his flight would not prove anything," she added.
Complaining that IAF was facing a 'serious erosion' in its fighting capabilities due to avoidable accidents to its mainstay MiG 21 fighters, the Abhijit Flying Foundation said in the petition submitted to the President that the defence ministry 'should honestly accept that there are problems with MiGs, which need to be tackled on war footing'.
"IAF should also carry out a squadron by squadron audit of aircraft serviceability by an independent board of experts," the petition said.
The petition also demanded that IAF should immediately acquire high quality realistic flight simulators or send the pilots where these facilities are available.
The petition also demanded that modern safety equipment should be fitted on MiGs like Zero-Zero ejection seats, high quality reliable flight data recorder, and conduct a cost benefit analysis of cannibalization of fleet to make sure that at least 50 per cent of MiG 21 fleet was fully flying fit, even at the cost of other 50 per cent.
They also demanded that IAF should as a top priority inducts the much-delayed Advanced Jet Trainers and that all accident investigations should be more transparent and prevention oriented.
Maintaining that Air Chief S Krishnaswamy had sought to attribute most of the crashes to inexperienced pilots, the petition wondered in that case how would IAF stand up to demands of war involving modern technology.
The petition said that even during the limited conflict in Kargil the 'fighter aircraft and pilot losses came from old MiGs' wondering what would be the scenario in an all out war.
The petition concluded by reminding the supreme commander that in any fighter crash, it was not only the loss of pilot or aircraft, but also a loss of a member of family and friends.
"But when it continues unabated, it has the potential of causing serious erosion in public confidence," the petition said
Defence minister flight
Defence Minister George Fernandes has taken a liking to the fast lane. After flying the state-of-art Sukhoi-30MKI, he became the oldest man, at 73 years, to fly a MiG-21.
Here, Fernandes and Wing Commander N Harish, commanding officer of 3rd squadron of the Indian Air Force, are all set to get into the fighter aircraft at IAF's Ambala base.
The single engine MiG-21 is a short-range fighter-interceptor. The first prototype was flown in 1955 and the production version made its first appearance during the Soviet Aviation Day display at Moscow's Tushino Airport in June 1956.
More than 30 countries fly or have flown the MiG-21, and at least 15 versions of the aircraft have been produced. Federation of American Scientists estimate the number built at more than 8,000 -- a production total exceeding that of any other modern jet aircraft.
But frequent crashes have put the aircraft in the media spotlight, with some reports dubbing it the 'flying coffin'. Fernandes and the top brass of the IAF, however, insist there is nothing wrong with the jet. They also admit the aircraft is old and needs to be phased out.
It's a successful flight. Fernandes meets IAF officers after being airborne for nearly 30 minutes.
Fernandes said he took the decision to fly a MiG-21 after a 'challenge' was thrown at him by the media and at Parliament to fly the much-maligned aircraft
August 13, 2003
Can an individual take on a system?

If you are Kavita Gadgil, you can.
Gadgil, mother of Flight Lieutenant Abhijit Gadgil who died in a MiG-21 training exercise on September 17, 2001, says anyone can take on the system. "I am a layperson and still our Rashtrapati opened his doors for me to hear my plea," she says.

She has formed the Abhijit Air Safety Foundation and campaigns relentlessly to improve air safety for Indian Air Force pilots.
In an interview to Associate Editor Syed Firdaus Ashraf, Gadgil says she wants the IAF to do something about air safety before the country loses one more pilot.

Did the President give you any assurance?
He said he would look into the case. He specifically mentioned that he knew flight accidents were on an ascent.