Indian Air Force Still ''Cowardice'' Due To Crash Over 30 Years Earlier !

[Windjammer]

''Eik Machar Admi Ko Hijra Bana Deta Hey'' ....was the famous dialogue from a Bollywood Flick but in real life....
''Eik Crash Ney Indian Air Force Ko Bakri Bana Diya''.

It was 8 October 1989 that the Indian Air Force was marking it's 57th anniversary. The highlight of the parade was a solo display by a Mirage-2000 aircraft of the IAF. However in preparation for the grand finale, the pilot failed to come out of a loop and crashed in front of thousands attending the event. The Pilot, Wing Commander Ramesh 'Joe' Bakshi perished in the crash.
Although this crash happened during an air display at an IAF Airbase but after this the IAF or Indian MOD seems to have adopted the policy of boycotting the use of single engine jets in public events specially Indian Republic Day Parade. So much so that despite operating several single engine types, over the period of last 30 years, with the exception of a few occasions, no single engine aircraft participated even in a simple fly by. And although the Indians take so much pride in their LCA Tejas which they claim to be an indigenous aircraft, therefore by all accounts it should participate and lead any National event involving air elements but like all other single engine even it was missing in today's flypast for Indian republic day.
It's no rocket science that in the event of a war, aircraft have to operate in different environment including over own towns and cities. Take UK for example where air safety is as strict as anywhere in the world yet RAF's single engine Red Arrows are known to do a fly past even over Buckingham Palace. One just needs to have that confidence which acutely seems to be short in the Indian Air Force.

 

[Trailer23]

Too bad there ain't no footage of this otherwise I'd be a great segment in one of my video edits.

IAF must've burned every footage of the Crash.

It's remarkable that this image survived.

 

[Windjammer]

Too bad there ain't no footage of this otherwise I'd be a great segment in one of my video edits.

IAF must've burned every footage of the Crash.

It's remarkable that this image survived.

Apart from the fireball the only image available is of the Mirage hurtling towards ground before impact.

 

[SQ8]

We lost a F-16 recently under similar circumstances - however I am surprised that the IAF doesn’t do displays with its M2k’s anymore(although it could be for the same reason the PAF may stop with the F-16s.. assets are too high value from both a capability and cost perspective) .

The Tejas did do some displays recently which made the Mig-21 look extremely capable. But the IAF has done displays with the Bison as well in local air shows. Perhaps the lightly fuelled MKI is just the right aircraft for the job.

 

[Windjammer]

We lost a F-16 recently under similar circumstances - however I am surprised that the IAF doesn’t do displays with its M2k’s anymore(although it could be for the same reason the PAF may stop with the F-16s.. assets are too high value from both a capability and cost perspective) .

The Tejas did do some displays recently which made the Mig-21 look extremely capable. But the IAF has done displays with the Bison as well in local air shows. Perhaps the lightly fuelled MKI is just the right aircraft for the job.

We lost the F-16 while it was rehearsing for an air display right above the capital and the likes of Tejas or MiG-21 may have performed aerobatics over a designated air base but the question is of a simple fly past over the republic day venue. No MiG-21, MK2 or Tejas participated. Imagine JF-17 not showing up on 23rd March.

 

[Vapour]

Thread's in poor taste, not really in spirit to poke fun at such events, particularly when something very similar has happened at home very recently.

 

[Windjammer]

Thread's in poor taste, not really in spirit to poke fun at such events, particularly when something very similar has happened at home very recently.

Many and even more dramatic crashes have occurred in the IAF since the subject....
The psyche of the thread is not making fun of the incident but the odd thinking and decisions of the IAF.

 

[Windjammer]

Even poor show for Rafale making debut on Indian Republic Day.... it already runs in at a height and then climbs up even further before executing so called Vertical Charlie... hardly visible to the naked eye.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1353950353104887808

The IAF should learn from the PAF who execute same manoeuvre with a single engine right above the Capital.

 

[Riz]

Learn from PAF chief IAF

 

[Clairvoyant]

''Eik Machar Admi Ko Hijra Bana Deta Hey'' ....was the famous dialogue from a Bollywood Flick but in real life....
''Eik Crash Ney Indian Air Force Ko Bakri Bana Diya''.

View attachment 710727

It was 8 October 1989 that the Indian Air Force was marking it's 57th anniversary. The highlight of the parade was a solo display by a Mirage-2000 aircraft of the IAF. However in preparation for the grand finale, the pilot failed to come out of a loop and crashed in front of thousands attending the event. The Pilot, Wing Commander Ramesh 'Joe' Bakshi perished in the crash.
Although this crash happened during an air display at an IAF Airbase but after this the IAF or Indian MOD seems to have adopted the policy of boycotting the use of single engine jets in public events specially Indian Republic Day Parade. So much so that despite operating several single engine types, over the period of last 30 years, with the exception of a few occasions, no single engine aircraft participated even in a simple fly by. And although the Indians take so much pride in their LCA Tejas which they claim to be an indigenous aircraft, therefore by all accounts it should participate and lead any National event involving air elements but like all other single engine even it was missing in today's flypast for Indian republic day.
It's no rocket science that in the event of a war, aircraft have to operate in different environment including over own towns and cities. Take UK for example where air safety is as strict as anywhere in the world yet RAF's single engine Red Arrows are known to do a fly past even over Buckingham Palace. One just needs to have that confidence which acutely seems to be short in the Indian Air Most airforces tend to have d SOP's for flypasts and aerobatics

And you're saying all this after we lost an ace pilot and difficult to replace aircraft last year while doing aerobatics.

Most airforces tend to have their own set of SOP's for fly pasts and aerobatics. If the Indians are not comfortable doing aerobatics during national day celebrations then they have their reason for it after all they lost a new aircraft and a very experienced pilot.

It's nothing worth ridiculing in my view dear.

Cheers

PS, please don't forget that we have lost a T.37,a Mirage and an F.16 along with the pilots during the 23rd march flypast or during the rehearsals. Also don't forget that one time when an F.16B almost crashed in front of the podium.

Have we actually learnt anything?

 

[Windjammer]

And you're saying all this after we lost an ace pilot and difficult to replace aircraft last year while doing aerobatics.

Most airforces tend to have their own set of SOP's for fly pasts and aerobatics. If the Indians are not comfortable doing aerobatics during national day celebrations then they have their reason for it after all they lost a new aircraft and a very experienced pilot.

It's nothing worth ridiculing in my view dear.

Cheers

Sir, maybe i haven't made it clear, no one is talking about or criticising the lack of aerobatics but an acute absence of any single engine participating in the flypast.
Indians often ridicule PAF for losing so many aircraft without having the conscious that most of IAF frontline consists of twin engines while all of PAF inventory is of single engine jets.