Planespotting

by Mohit Jayal

People have all sorts of reasons for plane-spotting. Some are pilots. Some are wannabe pilots. Most are nerds, a variant of train-spotters. Whatever your reasons, India is a great place for spotting exotic aircraft. And, like most places, the aircraft you see tell you a lot about the country you’re in - the aesthetic sense, the state of the economy, the geopolitics even.

Let’s start with Delhi, or Palam, as it used to be called when Vampires and Mysteres used to transit through en route to far-flung Air Force bases. Sitting on the far side of the airport is the Air Force museum. An experienced spotter will be able to identify a gaggle of legends lined up by the runway - a DHC4 Caribou, a DC3 Dakota and a Tupolev Tu-124. Standing next to the bright blue hangars are a couple of new 737s used by the IAF’s VIP flight, ‘Comm Squadron’. If you get the time, it’s worth visiting the museum for a look at a very pretty Spitfire (NH631) that was in flying condition till recently. Also, in the week before Republic Day (January 26th), it’s possible to see a couple of MiGs or Jaguars parked on the Air Force tarmac waiting for the big flypast.

On the other side of the airport, you can see a couple of dark grey Ilysuhin Il-76s and An-32s lurking discreetly by a hangar. These are on 24/7 standby for rapid deployment of special forces and other Jack Bauer-ish activities (but don’t tell anyone). Interesting geopolitical fact: very few countries have military equipment of both ‘Soviet’ and western origin - it’s a legacy of India’s philosophy of non-alignment.

As for civilian aircraft, please note the increasing number of shiny new low-cost carriers on the tarmac, including the rather smart IndiGo fleet (disclosure: I work with them). If you have a strong stomach, take a long, hard look at the new livery of India’s flag carrier, ‘Indian’. India’s ministers and bureaucrats have an uncanny ability to turn great, timeless design - i.e. the old Air India livery - into a hideous, ‘modern’ mess. There’s also a rapidly expanding line-up of biz jets on either side of the runway, an indicator of India Inc’s rapidly expanding wealth.

Southwards to Jodhpur, Rajasthan, one of the most beautiful airfields in India. H.H. Maharaja Umaid Singh of Jodhpur was a keen aviator and an honorary Air Vice-Marshal, and he’d have been pleased to see his beloved desert airstrip populated by a formidable array of fighter-bombers. With the Mehrangarh Fort and Umaid Bhawan palace as a spectacular backdrop, MiG-23s in desert camouflage prowl the taxiways like ungainly crocodiles, suddenly transforming into graceful sharks as they light their afterburners and leap into the clear blue sky. A Jet Airways airliner plods through occasionally, but given the proximity of our Pakistani friends, this is basically fighter country.

Despite being the original home of civil aviation, Mumbai is pretty dull (note the large helicopter population - there to service the oil rigs), but nearby Pune is home to the IAF’s MiG-29 and Sukhoi-30 squadrons. These are amongst the world’s finest interceptors, and though they may not have as much flash-bang-whizz tech as their western counterparts, they are superb flying machines - and absolutely beautiful to look at.

Going further south we come to Goa’s Dabolim airport, home to a bizarre variety of aircraft. On approach, you get a spectacular view of beaches, palm trees, backwaters and the Arabian Sea. But once you’ve touched down and started taxying to arrival, you start seeing the Indian Navy’s strange collection of maritime patrol aircraft. There are huge, albatross-like Tupolev Tu-142 Bears, Ilysuhin Il-38s with odd rods on their heads and Kamov helicopters with triple fins and rotors!

On the other side of the runway is the home of the Navy’s 300 ‘White Tigers’ squadron (equipped with Sea Harriers), as well as their aerobatic team (you’ll see them performing aerobatics above your resort in their HJT-16 Kirans). You get the occasional maritime Jaguar passing through, though the highlight will be the snazzy new naval MiG-29Ks that are being based there starting 2009. The Navy have even resurfaced the runway in anticipation of their precious 29s, so you know who to thank for your A320’s smooth touchdown. Like Delhi, there’s an aviation (naval) museum at the airport. Unlike Delhi, the airport restaurant serves an excellent prawn curry and masala fried pomfret with cold kingfisher beer.

So there you have it. When in India, it’s not just partridges, peacocks, elephants and tigers you should be looking out for. If you’re lucky, you might just see a legendary piece of aviation peeking out of a hangar, or rolling down the runway en route to some high-altitude operational area. Enjoy.