IAF Airshow at Chennai – April 22, 2007
Indian Air Force organized a 2 day Air Show at Chennai on April 21 and April 22, 2007 as part of its Platinum Jubilee Celebrations. While the Airshow on April 21, 2007 was for the families of the airmen and a select group of guests at Tambaram, the Airshow on April 22, 2007 was held for the public at Marina Beach.
While elaborate arrangements were made to handle a gathering of 10 lakh people according to news reports, today’s newspapers quote the gathering to be about 4 lakh people.
Chennai people were enthusiastic about the Air show and have started coming in large numbers from 2 p m onwards. The excitement was building up as the appointed time of 5.00 PM approached.
The programme started with the Jaguars and Deepaks doing a fly past
Then came Surya Kiran the popular aerobatic demonstration team of IAF.
The deft maneuvering of the aircrafts in batches of three , five and nine was cheered by the large audience in Marina Beach from Anna Statue to Light house. The planes created a Heart in the Sky amid thundering applause from the people gathered.
Next came the Saarang, a team of three helicopters, which was adjudged as one of the best ten teams in the world at the recently held air show in United Arab Emirates. These choppers also did a reverse flight much to the amusement of the gathering.
Next event was para jumping by the Akash Ganga Team. A team of 10 paratroopers performed the jump from a height of 30,000 ft. The descent of the paratroppers was slow and they navigated their way and landed in the open space in front of the pavilion. The star attraction in this event was the jump by one tricolour formation consisting of three members.
With this the action events came to a close. It was a memorable evening well spent
(Watch out for Airshow, Chennai – Sidelights)
i am told that the traffic on mount road was stuck for hours during the time the air show was held. can’t the traffic police be a little more watchful, especially since this is a planned event.
i am told that the traffic on mount road was stuck for hours during the time the air show was held. can’t the traffic police be a little more watchful, especially since this is a planned event. and oh! great photos as usual, balu sir. and oh! excellent photos sir.
Watched a couple of helicopters and the parachutists from the terrace of my house. I even got a few pictures of them.
Watched a couple of helicopters and the parachutists from the terrace of my house. I even got a few pictures of them.
Thanks for that excellent visual and verbal synopisis of the Air Show GVB! I was at work on Sunday evening up to 9 PM and missed all the action. So it was great to see your pictures and read your account of it. Thanks again.
I got to see a few suryakirans flying in formation near TIDEL…although they werent doing any aerobatics the area and were probably heading back to Tambaram base. Still, locals in the area were delighted to see plane after plane whizzing past.
I wonder if the southern/eastern commands have the Mig29, Mirage 2000 or SU 30? I dont think they were displayed..
it’s quite surprising to hear that the traffic was clogged up despite a lot of advance notice. a similar thing happened with the traffic a few years ago for the air show. i only wish th authorities learn from their mistakes and plan well for such shows to make the visit and experience an enjoyable one
it’s quite surprising to hear that the traffic was clogged up despite a lot of advance notice. a similar thing happened with the traffic a few years ago for the air show. i only wish th authorities learn from their mistakes and plan well for such shows to make the visit and experience an enjoyable one
Nandhu, traffic was clogged not only in Mount Road but also in the Beach Road after the event. It took about 45 minutes for me to cross the stretch from Light House to Foreshore Estate through the By Pass Road. The visitors to the event who came late parked their vehicle in front of already parked vehicles without worrying about how the other person will take his vehicle. Further some aggressive driving by all classes of vehicles were noticed. Without bothering about how the vehicle will come from the opposite direction, drivers were driving into wherever space was available on the other side of the road. For the entire stretch, I could see about 3 or 4 policemen controlling the traffic when I came halfway into the by pass road. The traffic constraint is a result of insufficient policemen available in the parking lots and not so disciplined parking / driving by the visitors.