Air Chief Marshal

Air Chief Marshal

Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...

 Pratap Chandra Lal (December 1916 – August 1982) was the Chief of Air Staff, Indian Air Force

Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...

 during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. He served in the IAF from 1939 until his retirement in 1973. He served as CO of No. 7 Squadron

No. 7 Squadron, Indian Air Force

No. 7 Squadron, Indian Air Force operates as a CAS and air superiority unit. Based at Gwalior AFB, No.7 Squadron along with No. 1 Squadron IAF , and No. 9 Squadron IAF , forms a part of No. 40 Wing IAF, Central Air Command.-Crest:No...

, AOC-in-C of Western Air Command, VCAS and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited based in Bangalore, India, is one of Asia's largest aerospace companies. Under the management of the Indian Ministry of Defence, this state-owned company is mainly involved in aerospace industry, which includes manufacturing and assembling aircraft, navigation and...

. He also served as Chairman, Air India

Air India

Air India is the flag carrier airline of India. It is part of the government of India owned Air India Limited . The airline operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Its corporate office is located at the Air India Building at Nariman...

 after retirement. During his service, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross

Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)

The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...

, the Padma Bhushan

Padma Bhushan

The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...

 and finally the Padma Vibhushan

Padma Vibhushan

The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...

.

He embarked on writing his memoirs My Years with the IAF

My Years with the IAF

My Years with the IAF is the title of the autobiography of Air Chief Marshal Pratap Chandra Lal. ACM Lal was the chief of the Indian Air Force during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He is considered one of the best chiefs the IAF ever had...

, but died before completing them. His wife Mrs. Ela Lal finished the book and published it in 1983.