<p>Sarang, the helicopter display team has got a makeover for this edition of the aero show. <br /><br />They sport a bright red costume. With a section of the crowd tailing them for a glimpse, a photo or a conversation, it is quite evident that Sarang has become the favourite of the masses. <br /><br />Proud to be associated with the world’s most prestigious air crew, the Sarang team members are best known for their inimitable manoeuvres, which they never tend to repeat. <br /><br />There’s an immense amount of planning that goes into the manoeuvres before the execution. <br /><br />None of the manoeuvres are spontaneous. They are first tested on a simulator and then executed. <br /><br />Every manoeuvre takes at least six months to materialise and the team says that it’s an ongoing process. Experimentation never ends as far as Sarang is concerned, confirms crew head Wing Commander Ravi Pathak.<br /><br />He can’t agree more when he says, “It’s my job to chalk out manoeuvres which the public may like and attract more people to join the armed forces. We never take inexperienced fresh pilots. They have to clock in a certain number of flying hours before they are recruited into the team. I can’t do such manoeuvres with <br />inexperienced hands. That’s what sets us apart.”<br /><br />The second-in-command Wing Commander V Negi says that the Sarang selection is one of the toughest in the world. “Of the 10 people, only one gets selected. More than 80 per cent gets rejected. That’s how rigorous the process is and only the best get in,” he says. <br /><br />Talking from his many years of flying experience, Negi says that the boys have a lot of fun up in the skies, “Of course, it’s a stressful job and there’s no compromise on the precision. Your mind has to be clear,” he says. <br /><br />About his favourite stunts in the skies, Abhishek Kumar, one of young members of the crew, says the ‘Crossover Break’, ‘Dolphins Leap’ and ‘The Stall Turn’ are the best.<br /><br />“It was my childhood dream to do this. Every pilot in the Sarang team is hand-picked. It is always a challenge to live up to that the reputation of the team. Self-discipline and precision is our strength,” he says. <br /><br /> Squadron Leader S Saravanavel, who admires the stunts by the ‘Flying Bulls’, says, “After a hard day of work, we chill out doing things we like doing. It’s not all work, but a balance of both work and play.” <br /></p>
<p>Sarang, the helicopter display team has got a makeover for this edition of the aero show. <br /><br />They sport a bright red costume. With a section of the crowd tailing them for a glimpse, a photo or a conversation, it is quite evident that Sarang has become the favourite of the masses. <br /><br />Proud to be associated with the world’s most prestigious air crew, the Sarang team members are best known for their inimitable manoeuvres, which they never tend to repeat. <br /><br />There’s an immense amount of planning that goes into the manoeuvres before the execution. <br /><br />None of the manoeuvres are spontaneous. They are first tested on a simulator and then executed. <br /><br />Every manoeuvre takes at least six months to materialise and the team says that it’s an ongoing process. Experimentation never ends as far as Sarang is concerned, confirms crew head Wing Commander Ravi Pathak.<br /><br />He can’t agree more when he says, “It’s my job to chalk out manoeuvres which the public may like and attract more people to join the armed forces. We never take inexperienced fresh pilots. They have to clock in a certain number of flying hours before they are recruited into the team. I can’t do such manoeuvres with <br />inexperienced hands. That’s what sets us apart.”<br /><br />The second-in-command Wing Commander V Negi says that the Sarang selection is one of the toughest in the world. “Of the 10 people, only one gets selected. More than 80 per cent gets rejected. That’s how rigorous the process is and only the best get in,” he says. <br /><br />Talking from his many years of flying experience, Negi says that the boys have a lot of fun up in the skies, “Of course, it’s a stressful job and there’s no compromise on the precision. Your mind has to be clear,” he says. <br /><br />About his favourite stunts in the skies, Abhishek Kumar, one of young members of the crew, says the ‘Crossover Break’, ‘Dolphins Leap’ and ‘The Stall Turn’ are the best.<br /><br />“It was my childhood dream to do this. Every pilot in the Sarang team is hand-picked. It is always a challenge to live up to that the reputation of the team. Self-discipline and precision is our strength,” he says. <br /><br /> Squadron Leader S Saravanavel, who admires the stunts by the ‘Flying Bulls’, says, “After a hard day of work, we chill out doing things we like doing. It’s not all work, but a balance of both work and play.” <br /></p>