Major C. Teeneshwaran is in his element in the sky. The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) pilot has been flying the C-130 aircraft for 15 years and knows its controls, throttle and the low humming of its engines like the back of his hand. 

So when he was grounded for 10 months during a military staff course in India, spending most of his time in lecture halls instead of cockpits, there were many times the 36-year-old felt out of his depth.