Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Amazing air show by IAF

— Photo: P. V. Sivakumar

breathtaking: The Surya Kiran team performing splendid manoeuvres in the sky at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal.

HYDERABAD: There were amazing manoeuvres by fighter pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) during the traditional flypast at the combined graduation parade at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal here on Saturday. During one of the sorties, the crowd watching the show took its eyes off, fearing a possible head-on collision of the high speed Kiran Mark II aircraft with the renowned Surya Kiran aerobatic team of the IAF.

The breathtaking sight was witnessed when a batch of four aircraft, two in each direction, whizzed past in a split second at a speed of 700 kmph. The aircraft also looped and rolled high in the air with a blaze of smoke in three colours – white, red and green. They flew upside down in various formations without any room for error. Three aircraft also drew the love symbol and the piercing line with smoke. The four light helicopters of the Sarang team delighted the crowd with ballets, reverse and crossover flights. One of the choppers flew in the reverse direction as the rest advanced to it. The crossovers were marked by vertical and diagonal flights. The Hawks, a new induction into the IAF, and Chetak helicopters also enthralled the crowd with various feats.

The sky divers who were dropped from a height of 6,000 ft by the MI-8 helicopter travelling at a speed of 200 kmph landed safely at a predetermined spot with the help of parachutes. The drill team of the air warriors completed the show with manoeuvres in handling rifles.

The 173 flight cadets who were commissioned included pilots Purnima Ranade from Maharashtra and Divya Jyothi from Karnataka. They were the only girls among 106 pilot trainees. Ms. Ranade said she wanted to be a fighter pilot .

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