ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Blazing after-burners and thunderous roar of fighter aircraft over the skies Monday enthralled the people of twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi gathered to celebrate Pakistan’s 70th Independence Day and evoke a sense of national pride.
The event, at the Fatima Jinnah (F-9) Park was also witnessed by President Mamnoon Hussain, along with the Minister of Defence Khurram Dastgir, Chief of the Air Staff Sohail Aman, diplomats including the specially invited ambassadors of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, from atop the building of Shaheen School, adjacent to the park.
The festive event, a special, to mark the 70th Independence celebrations, was participated by internationally acclaimed Aerobatics teams from Turkish Air Force – Solo Turkey, and Saudi Hawks of the Royal Saudi Air Force, besides the aerobatics team of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and commandoes of the three services.
The air show along with the Saudi and Turk Air Forces reinforced their strong brotherly ties with Pakistan.
Excited children carrying the green and white national flags, many dressed in the national colours, donned matching hats and goggles and shouted Pakistan Zindabad as the fighters thundered by. Age also seemed to be no barrier as young and old all kept their eyes fixated on the twists and turns of their favourite aircraft in the backdrop of the hazy sky.
The thrilling show began with a flypast by three Mirage aircraft of the PAF, upgraded with modern avionics and armament packs, that dropped flares and dispersed in a bomb burst.
It was followed by the aerobatics show by the lone F-16 known as; Solo Turk, by the Turkish Air Force, an event that tested the machine and the pilot to the limits.
Solo Turk got a loud applause for flying past the dias at near the speed of sound – equivalent to 650 kms per hour on ground. The pilot than almost hovered the aircraft at the minimum possible speed by a aircraft of its type and waved at the crowd before pulling it up 90 degrees, as it dispensed flares.
The crowds around the F-9 Park started to build since early morning and by the time the show started past the midday, hundreds of thousands of people gathered, raising slogans of Pakistan Zindabad and singing and dancing to the tune of national songs. The roads leading to and from the F-9
Park were jam packed with people on motorbikes, cars, vans carrying Pakistani flags and playing national songs.
The manoeuvres of Solo Turk included a 8-point role, flying upside down, rolls and tight turns in which he pulled almost 9 Gs, besides flying in a wave mode.
The six-member team of the Saudi Hawks were the next to enthrall the record crowds by flying in different formations.
Flying the BAE Hawk aircraft the team did barrel rolls, bomb burst, besides their signature manoeuver of forming the Saudi government logo of a palm tree with two swords.
The most exciting manoeuvres were the ones in which two aircraft flew in from opposite directions and zapped past each other with less than 100 meters separation. Emitting Red smoke they also made a heart, as another aircraft flew through it making an arrow.
The PAF’s SAAB 2000 AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control System) Surveillance aircraft also flew past the dias.
The recently inducted Augusta Westward 139 helicopters for combat Search and Rescue missions of the PAF made their debut and their pilots showed their skills of handling this highly versatile and manoeuvrable helicopter, by flying in reverse, turning on pivot, hard turns.
The workhorse of the Pakistan Army an Mi-17 exhibited dropping of a team of Special Services Groups who repelled down the helicopter.
Another manoeuvre in which the SSG Commandoes hang from ropes from a helicopter also received a thunderous applause for their daring skills and is normally used for insertion and extraction from behind the enemy lines.
The final aerobatics was by a JF-17 Thunder, a pride of Sino-Pakistan joint production effort.
The event concluded with a free fall jump by Special Services Group teams of the three services, who landed right at their designated spot inside the F-9 Park.
Source: APP/DND
