IAF Clinches 'Spirit of the Meet' Trophy at RIAT

New Delhi, July 16 (UNI) Winning comes easily to the young 'Rhinos' of the Indian Air Force -- for it were not just friends these Air Warriors were winning from among air arms around the world at the 'Royal International Air Tattoo' (RIAT).

The 'Rhinos' also won the challenging BAE Systems 'The Graviner Spirit of the Meet Trophy' at the event held over the weekend at Fairford, in UK.

Wing Commander AK Bharti, Commanding Officer of the Squadron, received the trophy at a special gala dinner hosted at RIAT last night, according to reports received here today.

The glittering trophy was presented by Mr Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director, Military Air Solutions, BAE Systems. The singular recognition comes close on the heels of the 'Best Static Display' award the IAF contingent won at the 'Waddington International Air Show' held a fortnight earlier in UK.

The youthful quartet of Squadron Leader PK Garg (Team Leader) and Flight Lieutenants S Mishra, M Gera and R Panwar -- all Su-30 MKI pilots from the Pune-based Squadron -- were declared winners of the trophy awarded to the crew making the most outstanding contribution to the success of 'The Meet', states the citation on the silver trophy.

Sq Ldr Garg explained that the daylong competition comprised 12 groups with four members each who had to participate in a series of challenging physical competitions such as an obstacle course, group tasks, walk-in-the-water, shooting competition, first-aid treatment and aircraft recognition.

''Apart from our peak fitness levels and competitive spirit, perhaps what really appealed to all others and the organisers was our camaraderie with all participants who found the spirit of us Indians very nice and endearing,'' said Garg.

''We made good friends with the French Air Force team who are thoroughly impressed with our IAF. They are aware of our other joint operations with USAF and their very own. We are very friendly and highly professional, they say'': Garg observed after having competed at the meet against aircrews from France, RAF, Jordan, Finland, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy -- to name a few.

The two-day 'Royal International Air Tattoo' (RIAT) -- held annually at the United States Air Force (USAF) 420th Air Base Group at Fairford in Gloucestershire, some 70 miles west of London -- is acclaimed as the biggest military air show in the world.

With 320 aircraft from 24 countries representing 34 international air arms -- and with nearly 2,600 aircrew and ground-crew put together converging at the venue with an estimated 17,500 visitors, the scenario can hardly be any bigger at this grand event held in support of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Charitable Trust.

The Indian Air Force (IAF), celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, displayed an IL-78 MKI and two Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters at the 'static display'. A single Su-30 MKI flown by Wing Commander H Assudani and Squadron Leader SK Sharma briefly, kept the shutterbugs asking for more.

In more ways than one, the presence of the Indian Air Force at two major military air shows in a row in Europe could not have been timed any better as the IAF is at the threshold of reaching yet another historic milestone later this year on October 8.

The event also hosted Europe's largest tribute to the USAF on its 60th anniversary -- a relationship that was built up between the RAF and USAF when the latter separated from the US Army in 1947. The air tattoo also marked the 65th anniversary of the US Air Force in Europe (USAFE).

Among the guests attending the Air Tattoo were HRH Prince Michael of Kent; HRH Prince Faisal of Jordan; HRH the Duke of Kent; Baroness Margaret Thatcher; Chief of the US Air Force General T Michael Moseley; Chief of the Air Staff, RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy; and Indian Air Chief Air Chief Marshal FH Major.

UNI