After flying in a Sukhoi aircraft, Defence Minister George Fernandes now wants a ride in a MiG-21, dubbed a 'flying coffin'.

"I had raised the matter with the air chief and a date was fixed, but the flight could not materialise because of some engagements," he told the Lok Sabha during Question Hour.

He was replying to National Conference chief Omar Abdullah who, in a lighter vein, had referred to Fernandes's flight in a Sukhoi and had asked whether the minister had any plans to fly in a MiG-21, which has been involved in a frighteningly high number of mishaps in the recent past.
 
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Abdullah asked Fernandes to take a few of his Parliament colleagues along, but Fernandes said this may not be possible since there would be only a pilot and a passive pilot, but no passengers.

"I want to assure my young colleague that I will take the flight at the earliest opportunity. It will be in a MiG-21," he said.

The defence minister, who has been to Siachen several times, has also spent a night in a submarine.