The Aero shows of Bangalore

Over the last two decades, Bangalore has become synonymous with Aero shows.

Aero India, as it is actually called, is a biennial air show and aviation exhibition held at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka, Bangalore.

It has been a regular feature since 1996 when it was first held. It is jointly organised by the Ministry of Defence, Indian Air Force and the Defence Exhibition Organisation.

Other organizations such as the Department of Space, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Union Civil Aviation Mnistry also actively involve themselves in making the Aero show a success.

This is the largest air show in Asia and it draws participants from across the world.

The first edition of the air show was held in 1996. During this Aero India Show, many manufacturers and service providers from the Indian aerospace and aviation industry met potential buyers of their products.

The second edition started on December 8, 1998 and it was inaugurated by the then Defence Minister, George Fernandes. It included fly pasts by three Jaguars, three MiG-23s, three HAL Tejas, 9 HAL Kiran aircraft of the Surya Kiran aerobatic team, Hawk 200, Mirage 2000 and the Sukhoi Su-30s.

This was followed by a breathtaking display of sky diving by nine sky divers of the Akash Ganga team. The exhibition stalls included displays by Boeing, Allied Signal, Bell Textron, Airbus Industries, Aerospatiale, Dassault, British Aerospace, HAL, DRDO, ADA, BEL and NAL. The French and Russian made their presence felt.  Boeing displayed all models of its commercial aircraft starting from Boeing 717 to Boeing 777.

Bangalore's third air show commenced on February 7, 2001.

The fourth edition  in 2003 saw 176 companies from 22 countries participating  from February 5 to February 9. This too was inaugurated by George Fernandes.

In all, 50 delegations from the United States, Russia, Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and Middle East came. The French delegation was led by its premier, Jean Pierre Raffarin.

The fifth edition  in 2005 was held from February 9 to February 13 and it saw 380 exhibitors from the world's leading industries in the field of civil and military aviation, aerospace and airfield show their products.

This edition of the Aero show included both air displays as well as static exhibitions of military and civil aircraft. In all, 80 aircraft including fighters, light combat aircraft, Advanced Light Helicopters, Intermediate Jet Trainers (AJTs), Maritime surveillance aircraft and unmanned aircraft displayed their might. The IAF and the Indian Navy showed their aircrafts. There were 32 official military delegations and over 250,000 people enjoyed the Aero show.

The flying performances and static exhibitions of the Russian planes like MIG-29K, Su-30MKI and IL-78 were superb. The Americans, French and British too displayed their wares.

India showcased its Dhruv- its Advanced Light Helicopter and Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT).

The U.S. maritime surveillance aircraft P-3C Orion and C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft were the cynosure of all eyes.

The sixth edition  in 2007  was held from  February 7 to February 11. The main attraction was the Lockheed-Martin F-16, as well as the Boeing F/A-18 E .F and Super Hornet.

The Surya Kiran and Sarang teams displayed aerobatics.The Surya Kiran team consists of nine Indian pilots, and have displayed skills by flying as close as 3-5 metres at high speeds and have exhibited various formations like the arrow, diamond and concluding with the hearts. The Sarang team displays maneuvers of Advanced light helicopters (ALH).

During the rehearsals for the show, one of the Sarang helicopters crashed on 2 February 2007, killing the co-pilot. However, the team performed undeterred.

During the show, a HAL HTJ-36  skidded off the runway when a tyre burst after the pilot aborted take-off. He did so as the aircraft's canopy inadvertently opened up. There was no fatality.

The seventh edition of Aero India was held between February 11 and February 15.

In all,  289 Indian firms and 303 foreign companies participated,

Armament majors from several countries, including Australia, United States, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, South Africa and a host of other countries graced the show, making it a grand success.

For the first time, there were country pavilions from Australia, Belgium, Germany, Israel and Romania. The show saw China participating for the first time.

The show, for the first time, was preceded by an international seminar on aerospace technologies and applications. Nearly, 330 companies from 50 countries abroad and 230 from India showcased their exhibits.

Thirty military and civil aircraft gave flight demonstrations. The IAF, for the first time, flew its vintage planes.

The eighth edition was held from  February 9 to 13 February.

The Chinese made their presence felt. The HAL Tejas team gave a  flight display in which several aircraft performed intricate maneuvers. They flew in a formation in public view for the first time, performing a vertical climb and then a belly turn right in front of the podium.

This year was the ninth edition. Over, 700 companies and 78 overseas delegations participated.  

These shows are one of the largest displays of combat and civil aircrafts.

Air crashes in Bangalore

The breathtaking aero show has come to an end. Bangalore has been witnessing these winged beauties for several years now and this aero show is one of the biggest of such events in Asia.

While thousands of people watched in awe and amazement at the manoeuvers of the pilots and their agility, little did they realise that there is only a fraction of a second or even less between life and death.

Once the aircraft goes out of control, there is very little a pilot or even the passengers can do, except pray. Unlike a road transport vehicle or even a railway locomotive, there is no second chance for an aircraft. Moreover, the chances of survival in an air crash is remote and  one in a million.

Unfortunately, air accidents have been rather frequent in Karnataka over the last few years.   

In the last two decades, there have been eleven major reported air crashes, killing 272 persons.

The first major crash and perhaps the most horrifying was that of the Airbus A320-231 in 1990 in Bangalore. The plane, overshot the runway and crashed, killed 92 persons on February 14. The flight, IC-605, had taken off  from Bombay at 11:58 a.m., for a flight to Bangalore. At 12:25 p.m., Bangalore ATC was contacted and prevailing weather condition at Bangalore was passed on to the crew of the plane.

At 12:44 p.m., the plane was cleared to descend to 11,000 feet and visual approach into runway 9 was cleared. On final approach, the aircraft descended well below the normal approach profile and kept descending until it struck the boundaries of the Karnataka Golf Club, 2,300 feet (700 m) short and 200 feet (61 m) right of the runway.

The aircraft rolled for 80 feet (24 m) and lifted off again for about 230 feet (70 m) and came down again on the 17th green of the golf course. The aircraft crashed over an embankment and came to rest in a grassy, marshy and rocky area of the Challaghatta lake. Tragically, it was Valentine’s day afternoon.

The Mangalore air crash in 2010 killed 158 persons. It was May 22, and the Air India Express Flight 812, a Boeing 737-800, crashed short of Mangalore International Airport after overshooting the runway with 160 passengers and 6 crew members on board.

A total of 158 people were killed with just 8 survivors; this is the worst ever crash involving the 737-800.

In between there two accidents, nine crashes have occurred, claiming the lives of 22 persons.

On March 6, 2008, a Saras light aircraft crashed near Bidadi, killing three pilots from Aircraft Systems Testing Establishments which is located on Airport road.

The victims were Wing Commander Praveen, Wing Commander Shah and Squadron Leader Ilayaraja. They were on test ride when the plane lost balance, crashed and went up in smoke.

Four pilots travelling in a six-seater Italian Vulcanair aircraft (P68C) died when it crashed on September 8, 2007. The plane belonged to Joy Alukkas, a well-known jeweler of Kerala,

The plane plunged into the Gowdanapalya lake in south Bangalore  killing three pilots - flying officer Santosh Kumar, Sunil Joseph (37) and Mohammed Shabbeer (27) - on the spot. Co-pilot K Shanmugam died in hospital.

The plane had hit a coconut tree and lost one of its wheels before crashing into the lake. The flight had taken off from HAL airport, and was on its way to Kochi in Kerala.

In February 2007, HAL's Advanced Light Helicopter crashed during a rehearsal ahead of the international air show in Bangalore, killing a co-pilot.

The air show was temporarily suspended when a training plane-an Intermediate Jet Trainer manufactured by HAL, crashed during taking-off.

On August 19, 2005, four naval officers  were killed when a Kamov-28, Indian Navy's submarine hunter helicopter, crashed near Belgaum in adverse weather conditions. Six naval personnel were on board the Kamov-28, which was on its way from Goa to Vishakhapatnam.

On April 17, 2004, South Indian film actress Soundarya, who hailed from Kolar, and her brother were among four people killed in a helicopter crash.

The helicopter, belonging to Agni aviation, was ferrying Soundarya and others for campaigning during elections to Andhra Pradesh. Soundarya was to campaign for a BJP candidate. The helicopter crashed minutes after it took off from the Jakkur airfield on the Bangalore-Yelahanka road.

The helicopter caught fire and crashed killing Soundarya, her brother Amarnath, pilot Joy Philips and another person Ramesh Sadan. The wreckage of the helicopter was strewn over a dry lake bed.

April 11, 2002 -- An Indian Air Force pilot was killed when the Mig-29 fighter aircraft he was flying crashed and burst into flames in the jungles of Golikoppa in Uttara Kannada district. The aircraft was on a flight from Goa to Karwar.

Four officers of the Indian Air Force had a narrow escape on July 24, 2001when an Mi-8 helicopter crashed during a training sortie inside the radar station of the IAF situated on Chimney Hills near Hesaraghatta.

All the officers managed to jump out of the helicopter before it crashed.

The MI-8 helicopter was involved in another mishap, but this time it turned out to be fatal for its riders. This happened on March 21, 2001. Five Indian Air Force personnel were killed when a MI-8 IAF trainee helicopter crashed near Chikkajala in Bangalore rural district.

The helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from the Air Force base in Yelahanka.

These accidents make us realise the high risk that the pilots face when they fly the iron monsters. Well, all we can do is salute these brave souls and pray for those who so tragically lost their lives.