Aerobatic teams forced to cut down on show duration

‘Performances being restricted to 13 to 15 minutes owing to a variety of reasons’

For a majority of the visitors to Aero India, the displays by fighter jets and aerobatic teams remain the highlight of the day. However, for many this year, the displays have been the consistent disappointment.

Since the start of the air show on Tuesday, aerobatic teams are being forced to cut down on their show duration.

The air show this year features four aerobatic teams — the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team and the Sarang display team, both of the Indian Air Force; the Yakovlevs Aerobatic Display Team from the United Kingdom and the Scandinavian Airshow from Sweden.

Most of these teams have a prepared schedule ranging between 18 and 23 minutes to woo and awe spectators. This year, however, their performances are being restricted to 13 to 15 minutes owing to a variety of reasons, say performers.

In some cases, shows have been cut out all together because of the lack of time — as seen with the Yakovlevs after the inaugural function ate into the display time. The popular group has performed just twice in three days — a drastic reduction from the two daily they were scheduled for. Consequently, while the fighter jets rule the skies at Aero India, the aerobatic teams have been forced to take a back seat.

“We came to watch the Surya Kiran on Wednesday but they did not perform in the afternoon. It was a big let-down as we had heard so much about the team but did not get to see them in action,” said C.G. Manjunath, a retired government officer who was at the Air Display Viewing Area.

Team members are also unhappy with the performance timings.

“We get briefings that change daily. There is no set schedule or time frame that we can work with. In such instances it is very tough to perform interesting manoeuvres that would normally have the crowd cheering,” said an aerobatic team member who wished to remain anonymous. Another foreign aerobatic group said while their usual schedule for other air shows is for 30 minutes, in Aero India, they were asked to perform for less than 10 minutes.

‘Changes inevitable’

Factors affecting the flights are plenty. On Tuesday, the inaugural function had to be cut short and the afternoon performances started only at 3.30 p.m. On Wednesday, flights — to show customers and VIPs — threw the schedule off-track . However, according to the organisers, such changes in the timings are inevitable. “Sometimes planes develop faults or cannot match the schedule. In such cases their shows have to be cancelled. Otherwise, we are giving them enough time for their performances,” said M.D. Singh, director of the Defence Exhibition Organisation.

With the business days ending on Thursday, the number of people visiting the air show on Friday and Saturday is expected to increase dramatically. For the thousands who will be watching, the hope is that the teams will be allowed to perform for the entire duration of their line-up.