SURYAKIRAN DEATHS
 Two
pilots killed in IAF Suryakiran mishap
The two Suryakiran pilots were on a routine training sortie
BY A CORRESPONDENT
March 18, 2006
Two Indian Air Force pilots were killed when an IAF aircraft belonging
to the Suryakiran aerobatics display team crashed on Saturday. The
aircraft was performing a regular training sortie when its tail
collided with that of another aircraft.
Sqn Ldr S Singh and Wg Cdr D Bhatia.lost their lives when the plane
blew up outside Bidar in Karnataka state in South India. Biddar is
aout 700 kilometers from Karnataka's capital Bangalore. The Suryakiran
team is based in Bidar.
The name Suryakiran implies a Ray of Light from the Sun. The
Suryakiran aerobatics display team is the pride of the Indian Air
Force. It conducts regular flying displays in different parts of the
country on different occasions. The Suryakiran team has 13 trained
pilots, out of which only nine are on duty at any given time.
The Suryakiran team flies the indigenously-developed Kiran MK II
aircraft. All the performer pilots have at least 1000 flying hours of
experience in Suryakiran.
When flying in formation, the planes of the Suryakiran aerobatics team
are as close as five meters. Nine aircraft form one flying group.
The nine aircraft take off in VICs of three and join up in close
formation, between speeds of 150 and 650 Kmph. The various profiles
undertaken are a series of dynamic combinations resulting in
constantly changing formations. This subjects the pilots to
alternating ‘G’ forces between +6 to -1.5.
The Suryakiran team has enthralled viewers across India from Srinagar
to Trivandrum. The team has also performed in Colombo at a function in
the past.
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