Thiruvananthapuram: An ‘air ballet’ by the Sarang helicopters, flypasts by Sukhoi Su-30 MKIs and Jaguars and a breathtaking jump by the Akash Ganga skydiving team were among the big attractions at a two-day air show which began on Tuesday at Shangumugham to mark the 30th anniversary of the Air Force’s Southern Air Command (SAC).
The event began with a performance by the Air Warriors Drill Team. Marching in different formations, 18 hand-picked men twirled and spun the 5.5 kg .303 rifles with consummate ease, drawing cheers from the crowd.
It was followed by the much-awaited entry of four Sarang helicopters, sporting peacock designs on their flanks. They came in from the north in a ‘wineglass’ formation, three spewing smoke. Changing formations, they performed a series of dangerous-looking manoeuvres designed to thrill. Soon, three of them rose as if on the crest of a wave and then ‘fell’ in synchronised precision.
The commentator reminded the audience that the Sarang Display Team, famed as they were for their aerobatics, had also been a part of Operation Raahat, the tough rescue operation undertaken by the Indian Air Force in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand. They helped save nearly a 1000 lives. The Dhruv helicopters wound up their show with the ‘Sarang Split.’
24/12/14 New Indian Express
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The event began with a performance by the Air Warriors Drill Team. Marching in different formations, 18 hand-picked men twirled and spun the 5.5 kg .303 rifles with consummate ease, drawing cheers from the crowd.
It was followed by the much-awaited entry of four Sarang helicopters, sporting peacock designs on their flanks. They came in from the north in a ‘wineglass’ formation, three spewing smoke. Changing formations, they performed a series of dangerous-looking manoeuvres designed to thrill. Soon, three of them rose as if on the crest of a wave and then ‘fell’ in synchronised precision.
The commentator reminded the audience that the Sarang Display Team, famed as they were for their aerobatics, had also been a part of Operation Raahat, the tough rescue operation undertaken by the Indian Air Force in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand. They helped save nearly a 1000 lives. The Dhruv helicopters wound up their show with the ‘Sarang Split.’
24/12/14 New Indian Express
