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Air Force Technical College to receive ‘Presidential Colours’ next month

BANGALORE: President Pratibha Patil will on November 12 present “Presidential Standards” to the Air Force’s 59 Squadron and “Presidential Colours” to the Air Force Technical College (AFTC).

While AFTC, the Air Force’s only technical college is in Jalahalli (Bangalore), the 59 Squadron “Hornbills,” which is a logistic air support transport squadron, is based in Guwahati.

The presentation parade wherein the standards and colours will be handed out will — for logistic reasons — be held in Bangalore.

The entire 59 Squadron, which flies HAL HS 748M Avro aircraft, will be in Bangalore.

For any Defence establishment or unit receiving presidential standards or colours is a matter of great pride, an honour bestowed in recognition of exceptional service rendered by it to the nation in war and in peace.

The standard or colour is a ceremonial flag associated with a particular unit, squadron or establishment.

During a battle, the ceremonial flag was the rallying point for troops.

For an operational unit it is called standard while for a static establishment, it is called colour. During the ceremonial parade, the colour and standard will be handed over to designated colour and standard bearers before being trooped and paraded for the first time in public.

Besides the President, Governor Rameshwar Thakur; Defence Minister A.K. Antony; Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju; Chief of Air Staff Fali Major; Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command Air Marshal V.R. Iyer, and a host of dignitaries will be present during the presentation parade.

The occasion will also witness flypasts by fighter and transport aircraft, and an aerobatic display by the Air Force’s Sarang helicopter team. The President will also release a first day postal cover to mark the occasion. It will be the first presidential standards/colours to be presented by India’s first woman President.

For the Air Force, the November 12 event will be the first such ceremony since February 2007 at Bhuj (Gujarat) when 37 Squadron Air Force and 48 Squadron Air Force received their colours and standards respectively.

Established as a Technical Training College in July 1949, on a 111-acre campus which was originally a sanatorium for Italian prisoners, the AFTC trains technical officers of the Air Force to become aeronautical engineers. It has so far conducted over 120 such 48-week courses.

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