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Daring performance by "Air Devils"

Deepa H Ramakrishnan

The four-member team sky dived from helicopter

SKY DIVING: Wing Commander Jayashankar making a landing at the air show in Pondicherry on Saturday. — Photo: T. Singaravelou

PONDICHERRY: A thrilled crowd watched Wing Commander Jayashankar and his team from the Directorate of Air force Adventure, Air headquarters, performing sky dives from an MI8 helicopter at the Lawspet Helipad on Saturday.

With the Lt Governor, M.M. Lakhera, and the Chief Minister, N. Rangasamy, seated among the audience, the four-member team — "Air Devils" — had perfect touchdowns with the help of parachutes.

They jumped from a height of 3000 feet and after a 1000 ft free fall (that is without parachute) they opened out their parachutes and landed exactly at the designated spot. "They landed so smoothly, like birds, without any hitches or stumbling on the parachutes," said Chandrakanth, an onlooker, who was there for the second show.

One of the members of the Air Devil team, Corporal Biju, was dressed up like Santa Claus and he was a great attraction among large number of children in the audience. Earlier, we also had a hot air balloon flight and parasailing demonstration by an NCC cadet.

If you missed the programme on Saturday, organised by the Department of Tourism in association with the Indian Air Force and the National Cadet Corps, you can watch it on Sunday. From 6.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. you can watch hot air ballooning and parasailing at the helipad in Lawspet. Then again in the evening at the Chunnambar Boat House you can watch a sky diving show by the Air Devils and water sports activities by the NCC cadets. "Normally we have such demonstrations during recruitment drives for the Indian Air Force and we are planning to have one such drive in February in Pondicherry. The demonstrations are held to motivate more youngsters to join the Air Force and also show them that you can have adventure in any branch of the Air Force. The activities you can involve yourself include flying, parasailing, sky diving and riding in hot air balloons," explained Wing Commander Jayashankar, Joint Director, Directorate of Air Force Adventure.

"Adventure tourism in air sports is on the increase in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. The Central Government needs to give impetus for this up-and-coming sport. If you have the correct equipment, the right spot and interest in adventure sports, you can take it up. Pondicherry Government is taking interest in bringing the sport here," he said.

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