Aero India 2009

Passes and very little time to mull on the consequences of a “go” decision helped us take a trip to Aero India 2009. Thankfully the painful consequences were manageable. We encountered slow moving traffic towards the last 500 meters and the “second” security check took us about 20 minutes. That left us with enough energy to enjoy the show. As the morning show was underway, we got a sneak peak of some of the manoeuvres that whetted our appetite and helped compensate for the slow moving traffic.

We had a quick look at the stalls that were displaying a wide variety of wares – aircrafts, components, simulators, avionics courses. We had the added pleasure of Uncle guiding us thro’ the stalls with useful information. It was really nice to see military grade on-board computers and communication equipment that are designed for a maximum reliability and flawless performance under extreme conditions. Their clunky and rugged looks almost inspire to you to get back to the do-it-yourself days!! The static displays offer you an opportunity to get “close” to some of the best military aircrafts of the day.

Lunch in the relative cool of the make shift restaurant helped us kill some time before the air show. The air show was kicked-off by our very own Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and was followed by the F-16 which set the tone for the show and caused considerable excitement. The 5km vertical climb of the F-16 while spinning like a top and disappearing into the sky was an awesome sight!! At least for me there was very little to choose between the capabilities of the F-16, the Typhoon (first time in India) and the Sukhoi-30. Capabilities in terms of manoeuvrability, vertical climbs, speed reduction were comparable. The Indian pilot of the Sukhoi-30 performed a unique manoeuvre when he seemed to balance the plane on its tail – in a stationary position. The F-16 did put up the best show in terms of entertainment (shock and awe?) with attention to detail – useful information on the public address system to accompany the stunts, good and complete usage of the “aerial boundaries” and attempts to connect with the audience. The Sukhoi-30 did come a close second. Putting up an entertaining display and having the best capabilities for a combat situation are two entirely different things.

The birds of the feathered kind did make their presence felt at the air show. The nonchalance of the black kites at attempts to scare them with gun shots did surprise me. They glided gracefully even when you had the flying machines fly a mach speeds around them with ear shattering din. One particularly hilarious moment was when the crowds were eagerly awaiting the entry of the Surya Kirans. The public address system announced that the Surya Kirans will approach us from behind and as everyone swung their heads around -- to see a blue rock pigeon flew past us ;)

The Surya Kiran’s did arrive in style in formation and close to the ground. The formation flying with a “tricolour exhaust” was indeed spectacular!! Their display does inspire you fly!! The synchronized dive and peeling away from each other as they got close to the ground was a breathtaking. It was a good idea to have some of the Captains commands aired on the public address system. It was sad that some of the best manoeuvres weren’t performed as they lost their star pilot recently.

In spite of some minor traffic hassles on the way back it was a day well spent. On asking a four-year old if she enjoyed the show – she didn’t hesitate in saying NO!!! Something for the organizers to think about. Better seating facilities, faster/more security checks, priority for kids at security checks, special shows for kids???

Hebbal Lake, First Sunday

I went out on my second birding trip today - as part of the "bngbirds" birding event every first sunday of the month at Hebbal lake. This time around I didn't lose much of my sleep as the birding session began at a comfortable time of 7-7.30 A.M. :)

To my surprise I was one of the early birds and spotted the common birds - egrets, pond herons, red wattled lap wings, sandpiper, northern shoveler and the spotted pelicans. By then, the number of birders had swelled to around 20-25 and Subbu placed his "spotting scope" for a closer look at the birds. One of the first birds that we spotted thro' the scope was the spotted billed duck.

We started walking long the lake and spent quite a bit of time listening to the "racket" caused by the red wattled lapwings that were chased by a couple of crows. Bully's everywhere :)

We got a clear view of the cuckoo hawk (brain-fever bird), marsh harrier, eurasian oriole, a juvenile shikra, purple heron and the long tailed shrike.

For me it was a much better birding trip - no rush of spotting the next species, experts to quickly help with the identification and a very friendly birding community. I also that the satisfaction of getting one decent snap - so what if it was only an egret :)

The only disappointment was that I was not able to identify a few "ever busy" warblers.

A word of caution for birders - Don't park your car on the service road near the entrance to the park. Police are on the prowl :) There is a car park area beyond the main entrance that charges Rs. 15 per car.

Related Trip Report: HSBC Bird Race 2009 Birding in Nanjangud Bird Photography in Kumara Park

Thanks to Ranjini for correction on the cuckoo hawk