Before I go ahead to pen down my experience, I would like to share here facts about myself that anyone who knows me will vouch for. People who know me well know that when it comes to gadgets, cars, planes, directions; I’m really not the person they rely on. Things that are noisy and that are extremely technical really do not get my attention instantaneously.   And people who really know me also know that I am married to a guy who is dead opposite. Anything that is fast and furious interests my husband and he can spend hours researching on them. It was not surprising that when the Air show for 2011 was declared, he was all excited and started making plans for buying tickets to the venue. He asked me if I would like to come. Well, since I didn't have anything else to do and off lately we did not get the weekends together, I considered (keeping all my disinterest aside) that this might be a good option for an outing. And seeing him all thrilled, I really could not say no.   We started off well early on Saturday morning to reach the venue. From what we were hearing on the news was that the place would be jam-packed. So we had to arrive early if we wanted to get a good spot to view. This was conducted in Yelahanka Air Base at Bangalore. There was good security and directions laid out were pretty clear. Once parked, we were all set to go to the ground. There was ample of security that was making sure to check everyone's bags.   We reached the ground surprisingly within 10 minutes. Looking at the crowd we thought it would take a lot of time. The show started sharp at 10:00 am. The format was pretty simple. Each plane on display would have their team introduced. Once the takeoff would take place they would perform and the features of the plane and all equipment would be announced. Once landed the team would be then ready for the public to ask questions and to guide them to see the plane.   The first display was by the Suryakiran team, a spectacular presentation by nine planes that painted the sky with tricolours representing our National Flag. Their Aerobatic performances left everyone mesmerized.Every formation made was spectacular.What a lovely performance of teamwork.Everyone was thrilled to see them land in synchronization. Similarly the performance by the team of Flying Bulls .This team had a spectacular performance where in their manoeuvres were extremely difficult.   The Czech team of Flying Bulls are famous for their unique performances and they sure did not let the crowd down. Their signature performance of mirror manoeuvres was awesome. Here two flight were flying parallel while one flight encircles both of them together. Beautiful! It was a daredevil act and some crosses made by them were actually spine-chilling. Every performance left the crowd clapping and whistling; wishing for more. Their debut performance in India was successful. The main attraction here was there was lady pilot in her early 60's who was doing the stunts in the team.   There were latest fighter planes, including Euro fighter Typhoons, Sweden's Gripen, the French Dassault Rafael , Boeing's F-16 and  F-18 Super Hornet  and India's Tejas ( I literally had to write this down  because I could not remember all of it).The rumbling of the ground was enough to set your heart racing as the powerful takeoffs took place.The dips and turns made by each one of them were wonderful.The speed at which they were going was tremendous.To control the plane and to coordinate with the teams below was great.The precision of the missile technology in these fighter jets was amazing to hear about.I was really excited to see the Tejas,our very own production that had years invested and millions spent.The technology that was inculcated in these birds of steel was immense.   Another attraction was the display of Sarang helicopters where they displayed many deadly acts of close crossovers and head to head flights. They also displayed the power of their carriers by demonstrating the lifting of a jeep and how commandos are carried up. Combat positions were displayed as well.Another spectacular display of team work and excellent control.Breathtaking is the word.   All the other arrangements made were good. There were many options for lunch, proper utilities and toilets maintained and housekeeping round the clock to keep the venue clean. I believe as a trade fare, this was extremely successful. The news tells us that this was one of the best organized events and one of the most successful biennial events of Asia which attracted a crowd of 75k on the last day alone.   It was an awesome experience to see how advanced technology is, to know what our nation has acquired and to witness such spectacular performances. To see how the teams and the students and team of aeronautics actually work was really a good learning. The exhibition display also caprured the history of the Indian Air Force (IAF) well.   It indeed was a wonderful experience to which I feel somehow words don't do justice. If a person like me who knows nothing about technology can be captivated,  I can totally understand why my husband was so excited. And I'm glad I did not pass the opportunity to go or else I would have missed it. Somehow I feel that when it is said “Sky is the limit", here is should be said, even the skies are limitless! Please do check out www.youtube.com for the Aeroshow videos. It is truly amazing.

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