IAF air show rehearsal: When subsonic speeds whooshed on Chennai skies

CHENNAI: Thousands flocked to the Marina Beach, their gazes turned skyward in search of a glimmer of flying metal, as the Indian Air Force’s frontline fighters, helicopters, and vintage planes took to the skies for the final dress rehearsal on Friday.

The special air show, commemorating the 92nd Raising Day, is scheduled on Sunday (October 6) from 11 am to 1 pm, but that didn’t deter people from coming out on Friday to enjoy the rehearsals.

Throughout the week, social media has been abuzz with photographs and videos of the rehearsals, and all that excitement descended on Marina beach on Friday, as people cheered for the men and their flying machines. The vast shoreline provided a picturesque backdrop for the flypast, with people pointing toward the lighthouse every time a metal bird with its taxi lights entered the air show arena. The Marina offered unobstructed views, allowing spectators to see the aircraft from almost every corner.

Chetak helicopters from the Air Force Station Tambaram, trooping the Tricolour and Air Force flag, started the flypast with an aerial salute. In between, Garud special forces troops rappelled down Mi-17 choppers, which are armed with rocket pods for a simulated hostage rescue situation. The Akash Ganga skydiving team carried out a HALO jump from 8,000 ft from an An-32 aircraft.

The aircrafts engaged in formations – the majestic Victory formation, Nilgiris formation, Kartikeya formation and Dhanush formation – left the spectators spellbound. The Natraj formation had the IL 78 and two Mirage 2000, Dhanush formation by P81 and two Rafale jets, and Nilgiris formation was done by Jaguars. The display of Kartikeya, Marina, Mahabali and Kanchi formations were spectacular.

The exhilaration hit the crescendo when the Rafale entered the skyline. Living up to its French name that translates to ‘gust of wind’, they vanished into the blue yonder like the wind. The new entrant to the IAF fleet flew at sub-sonic speeds of 1,100 km/h, leaving the crowd in a frenzy and setting the tone for what was to come.

The Sukhoi-30s, taking off from Thanjavur, thrilled the crowd with their loop, tumble, yaw, and vertical Charlie manoeuvers while dispensing flares.

Fresh off their performance in Egypt last month, the Sarang helicopter team enthralled the audience.

To wrap up the event, commentators called the mighty C-17 Globemaster-led the nine-aircraft Suryakiran team as the ‘Ambassadors of the IAF’, which, painted in their famous red and white livery, dispensed the Tricolour smoke. This marked the team’s return to the city skies after almost two decades.

The icing on the cake was the presence of two local flyboys in the cockpit: Group Captain Ajay ‘Dusty’ Dasarathi and Group Captain Sidhesh ‘Sidz’ Kartik. Tejas, MiG-29, and the Navy P-8 Poseidon were also part of the rehearsal, alongside the soon-to-be-inducted HTT-40 aircraft, which performed its first aerial display ever.

Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Training Command, IAF-Bengaluru, the command that is coordinating the air show said, “The special celebrations used to be held in New Delhi but last year, it was held in Prayagraj, and the previous year in Chandigarh. For the first time in South India that the IAF jets are set to take over the city skies here.”

Citing the examples of Group Captain Ajay Dasarathi and Group Captain Sidhesh Kartik who had been witness to the airshow in 2003, and are now members of the Suryakiran aerobatics team, Kapoor hoped that more youngsters would join the Armed forces. “Everyone must come to the Marina beach for the show but do not bring food, as it attracts the birds, which is a huge safety risk for both the men and machines,” he added.

With around 15 lakh people expected to watch the show on Sunday, 72 aircrafts from Sulur, Thanjavur, Tambaram, Arakkonam and Bengaluru will be a part of the Air Show.