Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, 38, who died in the Hawk crash in Bengaluru on Tuesday, had opted to be part of the Surya Kiran team as he was interested in aerial acrobatics.
A native of Hisar in Haryana, he had been living in Bidar for one-and-a-half years where the Surya Kiran team is based.
Gandhi graduated from the National Defence Academy in 2003 and was soon commissioned in 2004. He was a Sukhoi-30 pilot before joining the Surya Kiran team. He completed his initial training at the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad before moving to the Bidar airbase to join the team. He leaves behind his wife Himani and five-year-old son Riaan.