Yesterday we went to see the Aero India show, a biannual show and trade fair held in Bangalore for aircrafts and related technologies, inviting participation from some of the bigwigs of the global aviation industry. The drive was painful and unduly long and the Air Force Station in Yelahanka was windy and quite dusty, but was it all worth it!
The sheer manoeuvrability of the Sukhoi fighters and the amazing agility of the Jaguars ought to be seen first-hand to be really appreciated! The Sukhoi made the earth's gravity seem irrelevant as it almost stopped in mid-air, went through motions that made it look as if the pilot was simply freaking out with a joystick and flew in all sorts of “unnatural” angles for a fighter jet. The Jaguar really showed off by making its entry belly-up at a great speed and ending it all by rocketing straight up out-of-sight at an amazing speed making me wonder at the “g-force” that the pilot was being subjected to.
The Surya Kiran Acrobatics Team (SKAT) of the Indian Air Force, spewing obligatory coloured fumes representing the Indian tricolour, were also quite amazing with their ability to retain their formation at high speeds, their unbelievably close high-speed cris-crossing stunts and a really nicely done heart and cupid's arrow through it to celebrate Valentine's Day. A good and inspiring show on the whole.