New Delhi: United States Air Force (USAF) pilot Major Taylor ‘Fema’ Hiester Saturday criticised the organisers of the Dubai Air Show 2025 for continuing with the schedule following the Tejas crash.
F-16 Viper Demonstration Team Commander Hiester wrote in a post on Instagram that the team chose to cancel their final performance at the air show alongside a few others “out of respect to the pilot, his colleagues and family”.
Wing Commander Namansh Syal lost his life as the Tejas fighter aircraft he was operating crashed Friday. Horrifying visuals from the event showed that the Tejas—indigenously built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)—was undertaking a manoeuvre at the Al Makhtoum International Airport before it plummeted into the ground and burst into flames. Syal was unable to eject safely. A number of Pakistani journalists went on to mock the incident.
“After they put the fire out, and I was notified by the air show organisers that the flying display would continue, I made the decision that we would cancel. I walked through the show site maybe an hour or two later expecting it to find it empty, down or off. It wasn’t,” Hiester wrote.
He added: “The announcer was still enthusiastic, the crowd still watched the next several routines with excitement and when the show was over, it ended with ‘Congratulations to all of our sponsors, performers and we will see you in 2027’.”
Commenting on the continuation of the Air Show, Hiester said that it “was uncomfortable” for him to imagine his team walking out of the show site “without” him to a rock and roll tack as the next performer prepares themselves to perform.
“The show must go on, is what they always say. And they’re right. But just remember someone will say that after you’ve gone too,” said Hiester.
Wing Commander Syal’s death saw an outpouring of support from across the political spectrum domestically and from foreign governments. The IAF have constituted an inquiry to look into ascertaining the cause for the accident. The IAF pilot’s last rites were conducted in his native village in Kangra Sunday.
It is the second full hull loss of the Tejas Mark 1, since the aircraft was first tested in 2001. The previous loss of a Tejas Mark 1 was last year. Syal was a part of the No. 45 Squadron also known as the Flying Daggers, operating the Tejas out of Sulur Air Base in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)