Maj. Gen Nader Jahanbani and his contribution to the IIAF

[GHOST RIDER]

General Nader Jahanbani

General Nader Jahanbani was a 3 Star General in the Imperial Iranian AirForce,under the Shah Reza Pahlavi.He came from a family with a long military back ground,his father being a General him self.He was a soft-spoken and gentle man
He was part of a batch of pilots sent to Furstenfeldbruk Air Base in Germany for the training of the new latest F-84E fighter jets Iran had recived in the 50s.Furstenfeldbruk Air Base was also home of the SkyBlazers aerobatic team of the USAF.

At that time he was a Captain in the IIAF,Capt. Nader Jahanbani became a good friend of the SkyBlazers leader Major Smallen infact he also sat behind him in his F-84E during paractices.
Captain Jahanbani closely watched the SkyBlazers practice every day.


When his training was over he was promoted to Major and came back to Iran.On his return he formed an aerobatic team which consisted of 4 F-84G fighter planes,The planes were painted in white, red and green colors.The team became an offical unit of the Imperial Iranian Airforce known as theGolden Crown.

He was a well-known pilot in the Imperial Iranian Air Force before becoming a general. General Jahanbani had all his life pushed young Iranian pilots to be the best.After the Shah was exiled Gen Jahanbani was arrested,beaten and tortured by the new Islamic Goverment,he was taken out in the court yard of Qasr Prison and Shot.


His Last words were" Long Live Iran"

Empress Farah Pahlavi wrote:

"A bit later, I managed to contact by phone a dear friend whose husband, Air Force General Nader Jahanbani, had just been executed. Insulted by one of the guardians of the revolution, he had the courage to slap him in the face before dying. She was sobbing and I, who should have been able to find words to comfort her, could do nothing but cry with her. That evening, in despair, I wrote these few lines in my notebook: "I don't feel I have the strength in me to go on fighting. I would prefer to die for my country with honor rather than be dragged toward death by the depression that is overtaking me. Dear God, if you are there, give me the strength to go on."






Golden Crown Year By Year


1958.4 F-84G Thunderjet
Maj. Nader Jahanbani (Leader)
Gen. Mohammad Khatami
Capt. Siamak Jahanbini (Was involved in fatal crash)
1st Lt. Abdolhosain Minousepehr
Capt. Amirhossain Rabii (Alternate)

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1959. 9 F-84G Thunderjet
Maj. Nader Jahanbani (Leader)
Gen. Mahammad Khatami
Capt. Amirhossain Rabii
Capt. Abdolhosain Minusepehr
Capt. Changiz Makoii
1st Lt. Nader Yousefi
1st Lt. Fariboorz Paywar
1st Lt. Bahman Bagheri
1st Lt. Asghar Imanian

In 1959 this team also had 3 Joint Air Shows two with U.S.A.F. Team
(4 F-100) and one with Italian Air Force Team (6 F-86).

 

[GHOST RIDER]

General Jahanbani with Golden Crown

 

[GHOST RIDER]

 

[Pfpilot]

The Iranian military, and more specifically its air force was one of the most potent forces on the planet by the late 70s. The destruction of this once great military arm is sad to watch. Even with all the executions and attempts to eliminate from the ranks all Shah sympathizers, the Iranian air force completely dominated the Iraqis in the first gulf war. Lack of spares, political leadership and the constant loss of talented pilots and personnel to the Islamic revolution couldn't, sufficiently, hold back the air force during those days. But years of pathetic leadership has finally caught up and made this once great force a laughing stock of the middle east.
It must feel terrible for instructors who flew f-14s, to train the new generation of Iranian pilots to defend the skies in glorified f-5s.