New Delhi, Sep 10 - Known as 'flyboy' to his friends, 26-year-old Flt Lt Manu Akhouri of the Indian Air Force (IAF), killed in a MiG-21 crash Thursday, was a second generation officer in the Indian armed forces.

His father is a serving officer in the Indian Army.

On Thursday, Akhouri took off from Bhisiana air base in Bathinda for a routine training sortie but lost contact with the Air Traffic Controller after being in air for nearly an hour.

The wreckage of his aircraft was spotted about 10 km from the airbase.

'He was one of the most professional pilots among us,' said one of his fellow pilots.

'He was a very jovial person, always making others laugh,' remembered another.