VADODARA: “I learned that the Indian armed forces attacked Pakistan. If the Indian Air Force calls me up even today, I will join immediately,” were Wing Commander (retd) Robin Singh’s last words to his wife Indrayani on Wednesday night. Singh was the pilot of the helicopter that crashed in Uttarakhand, claiming six lives on Thursday morning. “Though he retired from the Indian Air Force (IAF) long ago, he was still eager to serve the country in its hour of crisis. I could feel that in his voice. The news of his death shattered us, but my husband died while doing something that he always loved – flying,” Indrayani, a resident of Vadodara, told TOI.Singh, a Barodian, was a student at Shreyas High School before graduating from the MS University in the 1980s. “He was commissioned in the IAF in 1987 and reached the rank of wing commander before retiring in 2010. For the next five years, he worked as a pilot for Pawan Hans Ltd before joining Aerotrans Services Pvt Ltd,” Indrayani said. Singh, 60, flew IAF helicopters in dangerous conditions during the Kargil war in 1999. He was also involved in Operation Parakram, launched by the govt after the terrorist attack on Parliament in 2001. “He used to fly the Gujarat chief minister and governor during his stint with Pawan Hans. It was only last year that my husband was deployed to fly pilgrims in Uttarakhand by his current company,” Indrayani, who retired as a teacher, added. Ever jovial, Singh was an ardent golfer and squash player. His daughter Vasundhara performed his final rites in Haridwar on Friday in the presence of other family members. The helicopter Singh was flying on Thursday crashed near the Gangnani Nagraja Temple in Uttarakhand, and the cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.