Schoolchildren bombard IAF personnel with questions during Airfest in Sulur

COIMBATORE: Schoolchildren, who have often watched the lean and grey-coloured machines flying in movies like Border, got a close glimpse of them for the first time on Wednesday during the Airfest conducted at the Indian Air Force base in Sulur here.
Hundreds of students thronged the base to see planes and helicopters at the one-day air show.
Ganesh, a student of Literacy Mission School, was staring open mouthed at the grey Mi-17V-5 helicopter.“Is that seriously a helicopter?” he was heard asking the IAF personnel.
IAF personnel standing near each of the exhibits faced a barrage of such questions from students. Questions of how fast they could go and how high they could fly were some of the frequently asked questions.
Though the absence of fighter flights like the ones seen in Hollywood movies disappointed a few youngsters, they were treated to a helicopter show and got to witness some of their popular rescue flights and helicopters.
The Mi-17V-5 helicopter, which played a crucial role during the Uttarakhand flood relief operations and continues to be used for anti-naxal operations in the north, was the star attractions. Students also enjoyed the Antonov-32 and AVRO 748 planes.
“Why do these planes have lesser number of windows than a normal colourful flight?” asked a seven-year-old Ruchika.
A few older students were seen collecting pamphlets on careers in the IAF, qualifications required and whether they could become pilots.
“The whole point of this festival is to make people proud of the Indian Air Force and the facilities we have,” said a senior officer. “They may be inspired to join the IAF. Looking at the excitement, we think we have achieved something close to it,” he said. “We are also enjoying interacting with so many members of the public,” he added.
The older students enjoyed the briefing on camping and safety gear like portable cooker and helmets with torches used by Army and IAF personnel. They queued up to get autographs from the helicopter engineers of the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters.