Thunder punctuated the silence, while various hues of smoke coloured the canvas of bright blue skies. The ground, however, remained uncharacteristically silent as Aero India 2017 got off to a tepid start on Tuesday.
The first day of the five-day event, touted as Asia’s premier air show, saw very little participation of foreign fighters, planes and drones; while, aircraft and helicopters of the Indian Air Force took over in greater abundance.
Starting off the displays, which are held twice a day, were the various helicopters inducted into the armed forces: three MI-17s, a Russian helicopter series that has served the IAF in crucial junctures of the Kargil war; the Light Utility Helicopter by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) which made their debut; HAL’s Light Combat Helicopter and Dhruv (Advanced Light Helicopter); and the popular Sarang display team, known for its combination of tight formations and deft manoeuvres reflected in their smoke trails.
These were followed by the booming fighter jets that zipped across the skies -- Sukhoi-30, the war horse of the IAF, HAL’s Tejas, Swedish company SAAB’s Gripen, the US F-16, and the French Rafale.
Besides these, a bright yellow Tiger Moth — a 1930s biplane — enthralled the sparse crowd with its manoeuvres. Making its debut, was the HAL’s colourful HTT-40 (Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40).
Aerobatic displays
If 2015 had seen a peak in the aerobatic displays, with the participation of four foreign teams, the 2017 edition saw two professional teams from abroad. The yellow birds of the Scandinavian Airshow drew cheers, particularly when the famed catwalkers (Skycats) held their balance on speeding planes; while, the four-plane Yakovlevs, a U.K.-based team which uses cold war-era Russian planes, continued their flawless formation flights.
This edition also saw the return of the six-plane Surya Kiran team, which took off in the brightly painted Hawk jets.
Duller exhibition halls
On paper, Aero India 2017 seemed to be the largest ever — at least in size — with the exhibition area spread over more than 27,600 sq. m. However, on the ground, crowds were sparse, while fewer business meetings took place and fewer exhibitors took part on the first day of the event.
The number of exhibitors this time is 549, down by nearly 100 from the last edition. Those who have attended Aero India over the past few editions have attributed this to the lack of large deals on the horizon (2015 had seen defence companies vie for the lucrative multi-billion dollar Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft contract from the Indian Air Force).
Chaos and confusion
Though the crowds were sparse at Yelahanka Air Force Station, many visitors were left frustrated due to the “chaotic” planning of the event.
Girish Naik took to Twitter to express his frustration. “AeroIndia is very good. Registration counter is in chaos ... Business visitors are stranded,” he tweeted. In a tweet, Shayaz Kaka compared the event to a “fish market” and said “nobody had a clue” to sort out the registrations.
Similarly, there were problems with the “public” area (air display viewing area), with many being denied entry to watch the shows. Prashant Rao tweeted that despite having purchased tickets, he was not given access to air display viewing area on Tuesday. Similarly, Santosh H. took to social media to vent his ire, saying that entry for general visitors was “cancelled without any notice”.
Air Chief takes to the skies
Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, who took over as the head of the Indian Air Force barely two months ago, did a 20-minute sortie in the Light Combat Aircraft developed by Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd., Tejas, on Tuesday. Anil Ambani, chairman Reliance Defence Ltd., will take to the skies on Wednesday in the Rafale jet fighter.
Siddaramaiah skips inaugural
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah could not make it to the inaugural of Aero India as he had to reply to the Governor's address to the joint session of the State legislature. The State government was instead represented by Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries R.V. Deshpande.
Morning air show curtailed
With the inaugural programme extending beyond its schedule, the air show, which has become the showpiece for many visitors, was curtailed on Tuesday morning. The U.K.-based Yakovlevs team’s show was cancelled due to a lack of time. The Scandinavian Airshow team, which was scheduled to perform for 12 minutes, had to squeeze its routines to just seven minutes.
Managing waste
The five-day show at the air base at Yelahanka is expected to generate around 40 tonnes of waste, of which about 12 to 15 tonnes will be wet waste. Bengaluru-based startup Reddonatura will be handling the waste by deploying fully automatic composting machines. A release from Reddonatura said that around 40 employees will be deployed to sort the waste and handle the composting machines. The wet waste, it said, is being processed as per BBMP regulations in an eco-friendly manner that will convert waste into compost in 24 hours. Dry waste will be processed at the site and sent for further recycling, it added.
AISATS COOLPORT commissioned at KIA
India’s first integrated on-airport perishable cargo handling centre was commissioned at the Kempegowda International Airport by Air India SATS Airport Services. The ₹48-crore AISATS COOLPORT has 17 dedicated cold rooms with temperatures ranging from -25 degree C to 250 degree C, and a capacity to handle 40,000 tonnes annually. In the past few years, Indian air cargo industry has seen tremendous demand for handling of perishable cargo products, a release said.
