The aerobatic team from Kubinka performs for the first time with demonstration flights at the Aero India air show. True, she made her way to the Yelahanka Air Force Base with difficulty.
The organizers of the previous AERO INDIA salons long and hard persuaded the Russian Air Force to send the Russian Knights aerobatic team to the salon in Bangalore. Finally, this year everything was agreed, and the group flew out of Kubinka on February 2, although the initial departure was planned for the first day. The group was supposed to arrive at the Yelahanka airbase no later than February 4, adapt, undergo aerobatics and February 6, the opening day, to start performing. However, neither the fourth, nor the fifth, nor the sixth, nor even the seventh number of aircraft arrived. It was said that Su-27 fighters cannot fly out of the Kant airbase to Delhi due to weather conditions. Really aviation Delhi authorities did not give permission to fly, as the capital of India seemed to be shrouded in fog. And when the five Su-27s nevertheless flew to Delhi, formal nit-picking immediately began: some documents were not drawn up correctly, something with customs declarations was not clear. As a result, the fighters reached Bangalore only at one o'clock in the afternoon, local time, on Friday, February 8.
It would seem that it is necessary, without delay, to carry out the formally necessary qualification aerobatics, so that on Saturday morning to show the beauty of the flight to all the participants in the cabin and its guests. However, permission to take off was not given. Formal reason - the weather deteriorates. By five in the evening, the sky really began to cloud the clouds, at six it began to rain a little rain. But before that, it was at least two and a half hours of fully summer weather. Considering the fact that the time of the pilotage is twenty-five minutes, it was quite possible.
At five o'clock in the evening, the pilots of the “Russian Knights” and the officials accompanying them gave a small press conference that gathered a huge number of journalists. Almost all Indian colleagues indignantly asked: why? Why did you fly for so long, why did you not begin to hold qualifications on Friday? Someone even asked if the Russian pilots didn’t see someone’s evil intrigues in all this.
However, our pilots were very peaceful. The commander of the aerobatic team, Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Alekseev assured everyone that there could be no more intrigues in principle. It just so happened. And when they are given the opportunity to rise into the sky, they will show that their group was not waiting in vain for them in Bangalore.
On Saturday morning everything cleared up. The flight managers of the show "AERO INDIA - 2013" explained that they fully trust the skill of the Russian pilots, they do not need additional qualifications. Especially since the preliminary plan of the demonstration was agreed in detail. Our pilots were simply allowed to rest after the flight from Delhi to Bangalore. So in vain some journalists were indignant. In general, our aces, technical staff and the entire delegation of the Air Force, the Yelahanka airbase command and the organizers of the air show were very welcome. And "Russian Knights" really showed aerobatics, which in the sky of Bangalore, and the whole of India, no one has yet seen.
The group flew five "dryers" - three single Su-27 and two Sparky Su-XNUMHUB. Accordingly, the pilots - seven people. They flew the same as they used to, with a diamond - four aircraft, performing group and individual aerobatics.