Sattar Alvi was born in Bannu, NWFP, India in 1944, into a family that had the military background. His father was an officer in the British Indian Army who later served in the Pakistan Army. He was educated at the Bannu where he did his matriculation and attended the Emerson College in Multan, Punjab where he secured his graduation. In 1963, he was accepted to join the Air Force Academy in Risalpur where he received his flight training on the Cessna T-37T, and graduated in General Duty Pilot course in 1965. P/Off. Alvi participated in the second war with India in 1965, touring his duty as "Mail Runners" to convey messages from one base to another, served on this assignment until the war was ended. From 1966–71, Flt.Lt Alvi was selected in the military adviser group for the Iraqi Air Force, where he qualified as a test pilot for the MiG-21 and sat up the training school for the Iraqi IAF. He returned to Pakistan to participate in the third war with India and flew the Quick Reaction Close Support Missions especially in Shakargarh, where the battle with the Indian IAF was the most turbulent. After the war in 1971, Flt.Lt Alvi was sent to join the faculty at the Air Force Academy and served as a flight instructor on the flight manuals on the F-7P, a Chinese variant of MiG-21F.
sought to maintain close relationships with the Arab world. When the Yom Kippur war broke out, Alvi was one of the Pakistan Air Force fighter pilots who volunteered to go to the Middle East to support Egypt and Syria. By the time they arrived, however, Egypt and Israel had already concluded a ceasefire and only Syria remained in an active state of war against Israel. Alvi, who was serving as a Flight Lieutenant in 1973, joined the Syrian Air Force along with a Pakistani Squadron Leader Arif Manzoor. The Pakistani fighter pilots flew in a formation using the call-sign "Shahbaz" under the command of Squadron Leader Arif Manzoor.
On 26 April 1974, PAF fighter pilot Flight Lieutenant Sattar Alvi on deputation to No. 67A Squadron, Syrian Air Force was flying a SAF MiG-21F-13 out of Dumayr Air Base, Syria in an eight-ship formation with a fellow PAF pilot and the Flight Leader, Squadron Leader Arif Manzoor. Alvi came to worldwide international notice when he shot down the IAF's Mirage IIICJ flown by Captain M. Lutz. On 26 April 1974, while on an aerial patrol, the PAF fighter pilot team including, Flight Lieutenant Captain Sattar Alvi, Squadron Leader Major Saleem Metla and the formation's leader Squadron Leader Major Arif Manzoor had an encounter over the Golan Heights between a Mig-21 of the Syrian Air Force and two Israeli Mirages. While leading a Mig-21 patrol along the border, Squadron Leader Arif Manzoor was apprised of the presence of two Israeli Phantom aircraft and was cautioned that these could be decoys while two other fast tracks approaching from the opposite direction might be the real threat. The latter turned out to be Mirages and a moment later Alvi, in Arif's formation saw the No 2 Mirage breaking towards him. All this time, heavy radio jamming by Israeli ground stations was making things difficult but the Pakistani pilots were used to such tactics. He managed to shoot down the jet piloted by Captain Lutz while the wingman quickly disengaged.
Honours
After the engagements, Flight Lieutenant Captain Sattar Alvi and Shahbaz formation leader Squadron Leader Major Arif Manzoor were awarded two of Syria's highest decorations for gallantry, the Wisaam Faris and Wisaam Shuja'at in 1973 by the President of SyriaHafez al-Assad in a public ceremony. The government of Pakistan also awarded each PAF pilot the Sitara-e-Jur'at. The prime ministerZulfikar Ali Bhutto personally met each of them and awarded the gallantry awards in public ceremonies.
