Army commandos put up a breezy show
Time: Around 10.45 a.m. A core team of Army commandos on board the Advanced Light Helicopter flying over the city get ready for their mission.
Attired in black jumpsuits, wearing helmets and goggles and equipped with wrist altimeters and parachutes, the five commandos of the elite 1 Para (Striking Forces) battalion of the Indian Army jump out one by one from the chopper from a height of 6,000 feet as Tiruchiites on the ground watched the spectacle with wonder.
After a free fall for few seconds, the highly-trained commandos open their parachutes upon reaching 4,000 feet and steer the parachute by pulling its strings to glide down before hitting the landing zone perfectly at the St. Joseph's College ground one after the other with ease.
It was indeed a grand sight for the group of enthusiastic students, general public and ex-servicemen assembled at one corner of the sprawling ground who could not hide their enthusiasm and rushed towards the well-trained skydivers greeting them the moment they touched the ground.
The parachute jump display on Tuesday by the elite Army commandos which the city has never seen was organised to commemorate the 250{+t}{+h} Raising Day Celebrations of the 1 Para (Striking Forces) battalion headquartered at Nahan in Himachal Pradesh.
Tiruchi was chosen as the venue for organising the adventurous event as it was here that this unit was raised on October 17 in 1761 as 8 Coast Sepoys under Captain Cook during the British Raj, said Lieutenant Colonel Vikas Singh of 1 Para (Striking Forces) battalion who headed the commando team. The 1 Para (Striking Forces) is the oldest unit of the Indian Army.
The commando team at first carried out a reconnaissance and went up to a height of 6,000 feet in the Army helicopter to set out on the mission, Lt. Col. Vikas Singh said adding that the entire operation was well-planned and neatly executed.
The other commandos who took part in the jump were Subedar R.K. Yadav, Havildar Basavaraj, Havildar Ravinder and Lance Naik Mukesh. A grand Raising Day celebration is to be organised at the unit headquarters in Nahan on October 17.
The Hindu : Cities / Tiruchirapalli : Army commandos put up a breezy show
Time: Around 10.45 a.m. A core team of Army commandos on board the Advanced Light Helicopter flying over the city get ready for their mission.
Attired in black jumpsuits, wearing helmets and goggles and equipped with wrist altimeters and parachutes, the five commandos of the elite 1 Para (Striking Forces) battalion of the Indian Army jump out one by one from the chopper from a height of 6,000 feet as Tiruchiites on the ground watched the spectacle with wonder.
After a free fall for few seconds, the highly-trained commandos open their parachutes upon reaching 4,000 feet and steer the parachute by pulling its strings to glide down before hitting the landing zone perfectly at the St. Joseph's College ground one after the other with ease.
It was indeed a grand sight for the group of enthusiastic students, general public and ex-servicemen assembled at one corner of the sprawling ground who could not hide their enthusiasm and rushed towards the well-trained skydivers greeting them the moment they touched the ground.
The parachute jump display on Tuesday by the elite Army commandos which the city has never seen was organised to commemorate the 250{+t}{+h} Raising Day Celebrations of the 1 Para (Striking Forces) battalion headquartered at Nahan in Himachal Pradesh.
Tiruchi was chosen as the venue for organising the adventurous event as it was here that this unit was raised on October 17 in 1761 as 8 Coast Sepoys under Captain Cook during the British Raj, said Lieutenant Colonel Vikas Singh of 1 Para (Striking Forces) battalion who headed the commando team. The 1 Para (Striking Forces) is the oldest unit of the Indian Army.
The commando team at first carried out a reconnaissance and went up to a height of 6,000 feet in the Army helicopter to set out on the mission, Lt. Col. Vikas Singh said adding that the entire operation was well-planned and neatly executed.
The other commandos who took part in the jump were Subedar R.K. Yadav, Havildar Basavaraj, Havildar Ravinder and Lance Naik Mukesh. A grand Raising Day celebration is to be organised at the unit headquarters in Nahan on October 17.
The Hindu : Cities / Tiruchirapalli : Army commandos put up a breezy show
