Last week I blogged about high altitude heroics, and although nobody (except Manish) commented I thought I’d take another stab at it, believing that lack of comments doesn’t equal lack of interest. The Hindustan Times reports that two Indian Airforce pilots are being inducted into the [Smithsonian Institute’s] Aviation Hall of Fame:

Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots Wing Cdr SK Sharma and Flt Lt AB Dhanake will be inducted into the aviation hall of fame at the prestigious Smithsonian institute in the US for a daring high-altitude rescue.

This is the first time such an honour has been conferred on IAF pilots by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Sharma was awarded the peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra on Republic Day this year for rescuing three injured mountaineers from a world record height of 23,260 feet. Dhanake was his co-pilot during that mission.

I can’t seem to find any press release about this on the Smithsonian’s website but I’m sure it must be true. The Times of India story from a year ago details the circumstances of the rescue:

Sharma and Dhanake flew the rescue missions on May 11, 12 and 13 [2004] in severe turbulent conditions and in the face of jet speed winds.

“Landing a helicopter, above its service ceiling of 23,000 feet, at an unprepared site on a snow-covered mountain slope, at wind speeds of 35-40 knots, was definitely not a bed of roses,” recalled Sharma.

Sharma, commander of the Bareilly-based 111 Helicopter Unit, who takes his inspiration from cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar, said they managed the remarkable feat with sheer perseverance.