New Delhi: The F-16 Viper Demonstration Team of the United States Air Force (USAF) cancelled their final performance at the Dubai Air Show on Friday in a mark of respect for Wing Commander Namansh Syal, the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot who lost his life while performing an aerobatic display in his Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.
Major Taylor ‘Fema’ Hiester, commander of the USAF team, has also expressed deep shock over the decision by Dubai Airshow 2025 organisers to continue the event after the tragic crash.
It was the last day of the event and there was time only for a few more aerial demonstrations after the disaster. Hence, there wouldn’t have been too much of a disappointment for spectators had the show been called off.
Hiester revealed that his team chose to cancel their final performance, along with several other acts, ‘out of respect to the IAF pilot, his colleagues and family, in a heartfelt Instagram post.
“I walked through the show site maybe an hour or two later expecting it to be empty, down, or off. It wasn’t,” he wrote, highlighting the surreal and uncomfortable atmosphere following the incident.
“Yesterday, on the final day of the Dubai Airshow, Indian Air Force Wing Commander Namansh Syal was killed performing a fighter jet acrobatic demo in the Tejas. Our team was preparing our own airplane to fly our own display. Though the show made the shocking decision to continue with the flying schedule, our team along with a few others made the decision to cancel our final performance out of respect to the pilot, his colleagues and family,” Hiester write.
He noted that despite the crash, the announcer maintained an upbeat tone, the audience continued to watch subsequent performances with excitement, and the show concluded with congratulations to sponsors and performers.
“It was uncomfortable for me to imagine my team walking out of the show site without me to a rock and roll track as the next performer prepared,” he wrote. “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,” the US fighter pilot added.
Though pitted against each other during combat, fighter pilots from across the world share a mutual respect, probably as they are aware of the nature of their jobs and the risks involved.
Even the Pakistan Air Force chief came down hard on his countrymen for celebrating after Wing Commander Syal’s death.
