For Ratan Tata, sky is the limit

Flying high in the global steel market with his recent acquisition of Corus, Ratan Tata, chief of the Tata group, said flying is his passion.

Ratan Tata, also a trained pilot, has agreed to co-pilot a multi-role combat F-16 fighter on Thursday at the Aero India in Bangalore.

"I am eagerly looking forward to fly the F-16. Flying has always been a passion for me," 69-year-old Tata said on the sidelines of Aero India 2007. Tata, who will be flying a jet fighter for the first time, said: "With a commercial licence pilot, I have been flying a couple of aircraft.

This is the first time I will be co-piloting a fighter aircraft." On the recent Corus deal, Tata said it was a dream that he wanted to achieve.

The US aerospace major Lockheed Martin has flown in two versions of its latest F-16s, currently operated by the US Air Force, for display at the biennial event. It may noted that the Indian military is scouting for 126 muti-role combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

The $40-billion Lockheed Martin is participating in a big way In the five-day event. Lockeed officials did not share details on the lead pilot, the flight duration and other aspects of the sortie.