Bond of the 'Surya Kiran'

The picture shows me along with the Surya Kiran team members at the Bhopal Airport during their stop over for refueling while flying from Bidar to Agra to perform a show in 2003.

The Surya Kiran is an aerobatics demonstration team of the Indian Air Force and the successors to the Thunderbolts. The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) was formed in 1996 to serve as the 'Ambassadors of the Indian Air Force' and to 'showcase the professionalism, the caliber and the mettle of the Indian Air Force'. The team has since performed numerous demonstrations in various parts of the country and abroad, and is today among the three renowned nine-aircraft aerobatic teams in the world.
My boding with the Indian Air Force's fire flashers of the sky came about in 2003 and till date have maintained their close association while watching them perform from a very close range. What moves one is when you start to interact with some of the finest pilots who fly these rickety old engines, with zest and precision makes one wonder why are they doing this, when their services is needed in the hot seat of powerful blast engines like the Sukoi, Mirage 2000, MIG's and the Jaguar.
Flight Lieutenant R V Singh, who was the head of the ground staff of the team, says on this posting 'we love this job because it gives us time to relax and also to unwind our minds with our family members'. While Wing Commander Sreekumar Prabhakaran adds that it is fun to be posted with this team, 'Surya'(Sun God), always keeps shining on us for the two years we get posted and we get to free our arms and try some new maneuvers which we would not be able to do on a fighter jet.
Squadron Leader Sanjay Khajuria, says that the past two years of deputation with the Surya Kiran team was great and wants to end it on a high, by showcasing their maneuvers over the blue skies of the city of lakes, as he was talking to me Sanjay pulled out his personal positioning batch in the formation line up and gifted it to me, and added that keep this is my remembrance.
In 2006 the Surya Kiran team was conferred squadron status, and presently has the designation of 52 Squadron, Air force and is nicknamed as the 'The Sharks'. The parent base for the SKAT is Air Force Station, Bidar.
The AOC of AFS Bidar serves as the guardian for the Squadron when it is at base or touring. AFS Bidar is one of the main training bases for IAF pilots, and operates numerous Kiran MK I 1A and MK II aircraft.

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