In a long but fascinating interview with Cmde Jaideep "Mao" Maolankar, we discuss Naval Aviation and how it is different from the Air Force or Army Aviation, his path into that branch of the Navy, his initial training and experiences flying the Sea Harrier, Dissimilar Combat (DACT) with the Air Force's TACDE ("Top Gun" school),  becoming a test pilot, flight testing the MiG-29, integrating new systems into the Sea Harrier, and his initial involvement with the LCA.  In another interview that will be released as part of a mini-series on the LCA / Tejas, we will discuss his experience of flight testing that aircraft.  Cmde Maolankar can be followed on twitter at https://twitter.com/JA_Maolankar