As part of the Independence Day celebrations, the Indian Air Force has set up its wares and skills for display at the Sulur Air Base in Coimbatore. Around 10, 000 students came to the Air Force base to witness the static and air display which was exhibited to inspire the students and the general public to join the forces.

R Adarsh, a class 7 student who dreams of becoming an aircraft design engineer couldn’t take his eyes off the aircraft on display which aroused his curiosity. He and his friends bombarded the air squadron leaders and lieutenants with questions.

Another student who is studying in class 5, Shivansh K, said that although his father works with the IAF, this is the first time he saw the helicopters and airplanes. He had earlier seen them only in movies, so to see them in real was a great experience for him.

Another student, Bipin Chandru loved reading about aircrafts and wanted to know more.  He believes that every aircraft is purchased for a particular purpose and he enjoyed gathering information about the engineering behind each. He asked several questions regarding the weight, usage, purpose and engineering aspects to the administrators, pilots and engineers who were ready with all the answers.

The MI-17 V-5 helicopter that was used during the Chennai floods for rescue operations was the star of the show. One of the squadrons gave information about another aircraft, Antonov – 32 and said that its main purpose was to deliver food and other necessary items to the forces and civilians in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

The students and visitors also attended interactive sessions with IAF officers who explained to them the various operations of the IAF.