IAF's 'Suryakiran' celebrates platinum jubilee

Srinagar, Sept 24: The aerobatics team of the Indian Air Force (IAF) kicked off its platinum jubilee celebrations here on Monday.

The aerobatics team, called Suryakiran, enthralled schoolchildren and people in the Valley by exhibiting various air formations at the air force station here.

Suryakiran, which is one of the three renowned 'aircraft formation aerobatics teams' of the world, plans to perform all over the country as part of its celebrations.

"The show that we are presenting here is after practicing for almost six months. This kind of perfection comes after such rigorous training. We are based in a small station in Bidar, near Hyderabad. The practice is carried out from March to September. After September, we travel and perform air shows. But this year is special for us since it is the platinum jubilee year," said S. Bansal, Commanding Officer of the team.

Owing to the turmoil in the valley, such a show has been displayed in Srinagar after a long gap of eighteen years.

A large number of people were present on the occasion, including school children, who came from different schools of the state.

"I had a lot of fun. It was so amazing to see the air show. Especially the 90 degrees turning and the spinning of the planes was very exciting," said a school student Saba.

Sania, another student who had come to watch the show, added, "We enjoyed a lot today. More such shows should take place in Kashmir; it will encourage us and others in the state."

ANI>