Commander T.L.P. Babu (Retd.) was commissioned on 1 January 1983 and served the nation for 36 years until retiring on 10 May 2019. A naval aviator, he flew the HS-748 (Avro) and IL-38 before operating the TU-142M four-engine turboprop from 1989 to 2007, logging 3,974 flying hours — 2,776 of them as Pilot in Command.

In 2001 he was awarded the Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry) for safely recovering an aircraft and its crew during a challenging situation. He stood first in the Flight Safety and Accident Investigation Course and held appointments including Staff/Senior Pilot of premier MR/ASW squadrons, Station Flight Safety Officer, Armed Forces Public Relations Officer and Public Information Officer.

For SSB aspirants, his most valuable experience is as a Group Testing Officer: he completed the No. 207 Group Testing Officers course and assessed numerous candidates for the officer cadre of the Indian Navy. Fluent in English, Telugu and Hindi, he continues to guide young aspirants through career counselling.