Navvy won’t fly at this year’s Rep Day parade

Naval vertical take-off Sea harriers and long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft Tu-142s have formed a part of the fly past in the earlier parades. Last year, the Tu-142 aircraft which took off from Chennai and was to join the fly past, came in a minute earlier. ‘‘Though there were little chances of any mishap it was a close call,’’ highly placed sources in air headquarters said. At that time the aircraft were flying in formation with less than 600 feet separating the wings of the two aircraft.

President, the prime minister, dignitaries and thousands of spectators watched the fly past at Rajpath where the naval aircraft came in before time.

The Air Force too is not taking any chances and has kept the fly past limited to secure and more reliable twin engine aircraft. ‘‘Fog and birds are two factors which we fear during any fly past. It will be a small affair where spectators can have a flavour of the might of the IAF. The punch will be packed later during the fire power demonstration in the desert sector,’’ sources added.

The fly past this year will include four Mi-8 transport helicopters followed by the annual feature the Big Boy formation where one IL-76, India’s largest transport aircraft, will fly flanked by two An-32 and Dornier aircraft. After the Big Boy formation, three S-30 multi-role aircraft will fly past in the Vic formation followed by 10 deep penetration strike aircraft the Jaguars in shock wave formation. In the end one Su-30 aircraft will perform a vertical Charlie but that too ahead of the saluting dias and north of Rajpath, an IAF spokesman said.

Air Vice Marshal S.K. Jain, assistant chief of air staff (operations) confirmed that the fly past this year was limited to only IAF aircraft but chose not to go into the details of Navy’s absence. Naval spokesman Commander Rajiv Gupta, however, said that the Navy was unable to spare aircraft for the Republic Day Parade.‘‘We will be having a massive air show at the international fleet review (IFR) in Mumbai and the aircraft are engaged there. Both IAF and Navy aircraft would be flying together,’’ he said.