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world's acrobatic teams

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LOW LEVEL AEROBATICS BY “F.S.”
NOVEMBER 1949 – PESHAWAR

Even as a young Flying Officer, Fuad Shahid Hussain’s incredible mastery in low level aerobatics became legendary in the PAF. Manoeuvring just a few feet above the ground in a Hawker Fury, his propeller was kicking up dust on the runway, or just missing the tree tops in a graceful 8-point roll, it all look like child’s play. By the early 1950s he was a rapidly rising star – now known by thousands throughout Pakistan as just “F.S.” – and a role model of every fighter pilot in the air force. Tragically, “the prince of pilots” lost his life to diabetes at the young age of 40, when he was an Air Commodore.

[Painting by Gp Capt S M A Hussaini (R)]
 
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RED DRAGONS - 1951

The first formation aerobatics team, formed by No 9 Squadron on its Furies, was called 'The Red Dragons'. The painting shows the team performing officially for the first time in 1951 at Peshawar. The occasion was the farewell ceremonies for the PAF's outgoing C-in-C, Air Vice-Marshal R L R Atcherely. 'The Red Dragons' thus gained the honour of being the first aerobatic team in the Indo-Pak subcontinent.

The Team: Squadron Leader Zafar Chaudhry
Flight Lieutenant Saeedullah Khan
Flying Officer T H Gotting
Flying Officer M Hayat Khan

[Painting by Gp Capt S M A Hussaini (R)]
 
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RED DRAGONS - 1951

'The Red Dragons' climbing vertically during a display of formation aerobatics in 1951. The aircraft nearest to the camera, marked 'Z' is flown by Squadron Leader Zafar Chaudhry, who later later became the Chief of the Air Staff.

[Picture Copyright: Air Marshal Z A Chaudhry (Retd.)]
 
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THE PAYBILLS - PAF's FIRST JET AEROBATICS TEAM

In 1952, No 11 Squadron, Drigh Road (now Faisal) Air Base, formed an aerobatics team with the curious name "The Paybills," that happened to be the squadron's call sign. This was the PAF's first jet aerobatics team, flying the squadron's Attackers. The painting shows the formation flying over Manora. This team was led by F S Hussain, the renowned flyer and aerial acrobat of his time.

The Team: Squadron Leader F S Hussain
Flight Lieutenant M Z Masud
Flying Officer A U Ahmed
Pilot Officer Jamal A Khan

[Painting by Gp Capt S M A Hussaini (R)]
 
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Hawker Furies stream past Harvards forming national emblem - 22 Feb 1955.

[Picture Courtesy: DPR, PAF]
 
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REPARING FOR A WORLD RECORD
FEBRUARY 1958 - MAURIPUR (MASROOR) AIR BASE


Cramped for space, the selected pilots from several F-86 squadrons gather at Mauripur Air Force base. They would practise for several weeks under the leadership of Wing Commander M Zafar Masud for a grand air display in which the world's first loop in a formation of sixteen jets would set a record.

[Painting by Gp Capt S M A Hussaini (R)]
 
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THE PAF "FALCONS" MAKE HISTORY

2nd February 1958 was a significant day in the history of aviation as well as that of the Pakistan Air Force. On that day, for the first time a formation of 16 fighters (F-86 Sabres) performed a loop during an air display at Masroor Air Base at Karachi. The team was led by the renowned fighter pilot and wartime leader of the Air Force, Wing Commander M Z Masud, who was later awarded Hilal-e-Jurat in the 1965 War.

The Team: Wing Commander M Z Masud
Squadron Leader Nazir Latif
Squadron Leader S U Khan
Squadron Leader Ghulam Haider
Squadron Leader S M Ahmad
Squadron Leader Aftab Ahmad
Squadron Leader M Sadruddin
Flight Lieutenant Sajjad Haider
Flight Lieutenant A U Ahmad
Flight Lieutenant Hamed Anwar
Flight Lieutenant Muniruddin Ahmad
Flight Lieutenant M Arshad
Flight Lieutenant Jamal A Khan
Flight Lieutenant A M K Lodhie
Flight Lieutenant Wiqar Azim
Flight Lieutenant M L Middlecoat

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THE RAF "BLUE DIAMONDS" AT FARNBOROUGH
SEPTEMBER 1961


In 1961, Flight Lieutenant Hameed Anwar, a young PAF Officer on exchange posting with the British Royal Force, brought ditinction to his parent Service by being selected as a member of the RAF's official display team. Hameed, a veteran of the PAF's own formation aerobatics team, was eagerly welcomed into the "Blue Diamonds". The painting shows the tem of sixteen Hunters performing at the Farnborough Air Show.

[Painting by Gp Capt S M A Hussaini (R)]
 
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"THE HASHEMITE DIAMOND" OVER JORDAN
JUNE 1964 - JERASH


The Hashemite Diamond was the national air display team of Jordan between 1964-1965. It was the largest formation aerobatic team in the Middle East at the time and became well-known in the region for its impressive performances. The team was formed, trained and led by Flight Lieutenant Hameed Anwar of the PAF. The painting shows the Diamond over the historic Jerash ruins north of Amman.

[Painting by Gp Capt S M A Hussaini (R)]
 
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SABRES NINE - 1964

A striking deature of this 1964 aerobatics team of the PAF was that five out of these nine pilots were awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat during the 1965 War. Of these pilots, Rafiqui, Munir and Yunus attained Shahadat and M M Alam became an ace. The leader, Wing Comander Anwar Shamim, later became the Chief of the Air Staff.

The Team: Wing Commander M Anwar Shamim
Squadron Leader M Arshad
Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Rafiqui
Squadron Leader Mukhtar Ali
Squadron Leader Muniruddin Ahmad
Squadron Leader M M Alam
Flight Lieutenant M M Khalid
Flight Lieutenant Yusaf A Khan
Flight Lieutenant Yunus Hussain

[Painting by Gp Capt S M A Hussaini (R)]
 

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