Fali Homi Major Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major served as the eighteenth Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force taking office on April 1 , 2007 , and becoming the first helicopter pilot in the service to be promoted to the office of Chief . He retired on May 31 , 2009 , and was succeeded in office by Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik , a fighter pilot . Professional career . Air Chief Marshal Major was commissioned into the Indian Air Force on December 31 , 1967 as a helicopter pilot . During his long and distinguished service spanning little over 39 years , he has worked in a variety of Command , Staff and Instructional appointments . Besides being a Fellow of the National Defence College , New Delhi , and the Army War College , Mhow , he attended a variety of courses like Junior Commanders ' Course , Jungle and Snow Survival Course and Higher Command Courses . He was appointed Joint Director ( Helicopter Operations ) and Director Operations ( Transport & Helicopter ) . In 1999 , he took over as the Air Officer Commanding Leh ( Ladakh ) , in the aftermath of the Kargil conflict . Credits and awards . He has the distinction of having 7765 hours of flying experience to his credit . For his leadership , successful accomplishment of tasks and distinguished service of a very high order , he was awarded the ‘ Ati Vishist Seva Medal ’ in Jan 2002 . He was promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal in Feb 2002 and appointed as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff ( Personnel Airmen & Civilians ) at Air Headquarters . On promotion to the rank of Air Marshal in Jan 2004 he moved to HQ Integrated Defence Staff as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff ( Operations ) and directed the relief , rescue and rehabilitation operations of the Indian Armed Forces , in India and abroad , in the aftermath of the Tsunami . On 05 Sep 2005 , he was appointed as the Air Officer Commanding - in - Chief , Eastern Air Command . That tenure saw the successful conduct of three major international air exercises with the United States Air Force , Republic of Singapore Air Force and the French Air Force . He was awarded the ‘ Param Vishisht Seva Medal ’ by the President of India on 26 Jan 2006 . He commanded a helicopter unit , which took part in operations in Siachen ( world ' s highest battlefield ) and commanded a Mi - 17 squadron during the IPKF operations in Sri Lanka , for which he was decorated with the Vayu Sena Medal ( Gallantry ) . While serving as a Group Captain , FH Major was awarded Shaurya Chakra for undertaking a very dangerous and exacting rescue mission on October 14 , 1992 at Timber Trail in Parwanoo , Himachal Pradesh , where he along with his crew , winched eleven stranded tourists out from a cable car , by hovering precariously close to the set of cables that ran above it . Brief description of personal life . Major was born on May 29 , 1947 in Secunderabad , Nizam ' s Dominion . He is an alumnus of Wesley High School , Secunderabad . Air Chief Marshal F . H . Major is married to Mrs Zareen Major and has one son and one daughter . He also belongs to the distinguished ' Parsi Zoroastrian ' community . The Air Chief Marshal is an avid golfer and a cricket fan .