Airshow @ South Africa

Hi All,

We had been to an Airshow yesterday at Waterkloof Airforce base in South Africa. The event was conducted by AAD (Africa Aerospace & Defence). This was the first ever time that I ever went to an Airshow.

All that I have seen before this, is the 5 second video clipping that our Indian news channels show on Independance day and Republic day. 

A huge thanks to the weather, to allow the event to happen. Until 9 AM on the day of the event, there was rain at the venue, and there was a forecast for thunderstorms with rain for the remainder of the day. But as we left from our home in Johannesburg at around 10am , the clouds started clearing out. By the time we reached the venue, there was already a 100 people long queue for entrance and a whopping 3000+ were already inside.

I would like to share some pictures from the event..

The event began with some ground shows..

This tanker.. i have seen it in Arjun movies and Vijayakanth movies (tamil super heroes..) (Hindi audience - please relate to Sunny Deol movies).. The tanker completed 3-4 rounds so that all the audiences do get a good look at the deadly war weapon..

This typical figher jet - I remember seeing it in Avatar, and a hell lot of other "Alien" english movies.. Everything was good except it's noise.. almost equals the sound of 100 thunders.. Just couldn't imagine how it would have been during the wars. Forget the people who die at war.. imagine the people who would be listening to this deadly noise - day in, day out..!! Please , no war... save our eardrums.. :-)

What followed was a display of the domestic and international airlines operated in South Africa. While the flights took off and completed normal runs around the arena, the officials were announcing its technical details like capacity, speed, etc.,

The above one, as you can see, is a flight from the 1time airlines, which is one of the low-cost airlines operated in South Africa.

And below is the prime airlines of South Africa - SAA.

But the real beauty of the day was from the choppers, who entertained with their various stunts and styles.

And one more...

They were flying here and there.. and before you spot them, they are gone.. They entered the sky in a group of 5, then split themselves up, went to a corner each,.. performed some stunts like toppling etc., and came back to the alignments.

There were also some private charters and helicopters on display & sale.

           

                                 

                                     

                                   

The helicopters also did entertain us with some serious action..

And here's another one.. all I know is that these two look different.. 

And here's one that lifted a tanker..

And then there was a mock war-scenario too. A few explosions took place, and it was demonstrated how the tankers will be used during wars , and how the rescue operations take place.

Thick smoke from an explosion as part of the mock-war..

A military tanker in action....

And then an Helicopter rescue operation..



And a final rescue to take back the remaining soldiers after the 'war'..

We were not there the whole day, hence I'm unaware of the events that happened later on. But it was quite a tiring day considering that we had to stand throughout the event to get a good view of the exhibitions. For more information about the event , you can visit http://www.aadexpo.co.za/

I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

If you would like to see more pictures, you can check the below link to my Picassa album.

Airshow, Waterkloof Airbase, South Africa

Anti-climax to my earlier blog..

Hi ,

I really din't want to write this one, and spoil the mood for a few of you..

But I couldn't stop from showcasing the cruel mentality of a few human beings..

Well, this is actually an anti-climax of my earlier blog about spring where I shared some pictures of nests from my garden.

I just discovered this yesterday evening, when I returned from office and went to the patio where I usually keep my shoes.. The tree in which the nests were woven, were cut down..!!

Firstly, that tree was not standing in my garden.. it originated from my neighhour's house, but majority of the branches were hanging in my garden, giving it a wonderful look.

There was unusual sun light in the garden, now that the tree is not there..  I din't want this kind of a sunlight to enter the garden.. no.. not at the expense of nature., not with the sin of destroying the nests..


While I was standing there, in complete disbelief of what has happened, all that I could hear was the crying sound of the birds , who have just lost their homes, that they had woven so beautifully, with all hard work, gathering grass by grass, leaf by leaf..

These were all that remained, out of the beautiful nests that were on the tree a week back.. If you din't see them earlier, please scroll down to see how beautiful the nests were..

I saw a few birds sitting on the compound wall, and crying over the lost houses, and shifted my camera towards them and positioned the zoom.

But for a split second, I thought about our human life.. if some one had just then lost their home, would we simply be clicking their crying photos ? I mean, if we were non-media ..  Definitely not..!

We have all heard about people losing their homes due to Tsunami, Earthquakes etc.,

But they are natural calamitites.. and not artificial events..

What harm did these birds cause to my neighbour ?

What harm did that tree cause to them ?

Why on earth did they have to cut that tree so mercilessly ?

Well, honestly, I do not find a satisfying answer.

I was totally disappointed by what was done during the day.. 5 beautiful nests were destroyed. 5 homes were demolished.

But the good news is that - there were no eggs in any of those nests.

Perhaps, the birds knew that they should not trust these human beings..and this could have been their vacation habitat or so..

And while the tree is no longer there for me to admire in the mornings, I also noted through the new gap that there were a few more nests woven on a tree that was standing two houses away..

I only hope that  - that house owner / tenant is not as "stone-hearted" as my neighbour is.. and that he would allow the birds to stay there till they wish..!!

Sorry if I spoiled your mood with these sad pictures.. but then, I wanted this to be on my blog. So that, any one who sees both the pcitures (the above ones and the pictures from my earlier blog), will think twice before cutting down a tree..!!

Welcome Ms. Spring

Hello Everyone,

After 4 months of not-so-bad winter, the sun has finally started to come out nice and bright.

The room heaters are crying that they also need some rest.

We are being reminded that there is a "A/C" button in the car.. The full sleeve shirts are telling me to fold them..  The deodrants are jumping out of the cupboards..

That parachute coconut oil which remained frozen for 3 months, is back to the liquid state..!

The juice bottles in the shops are yelling "buy me now"..!

Yes.  The winter is finally done (touch wood..  pls. don't prove me wrong..!).

There was a day of snow.. then a day of hailstorms with "golf-ball" sized ice stones falling ..

Then a couple of days of rain.. with decent lightening and thunder..

And after much contemplation, confusion, arguments, and debates, Ms. Spring has managed to find herself a way to sneak out in the middle..!

Below are some pictures I could take, around our house, in Sandton.

Hope you will enjoy them.

This was how most of the plants looked during winter.

Seeing these thorns, I remembered the lines "முள்ளோடு தான் முத்தங்களோ, சொல் ..... சொல்" from the movie "Roja" ..!

The birds were also tired of the winter.. They wanted to enjoy sitting and moving around the lush green branches as they like to do..!

And here comes Ms. Spring ..

I like love this combination of Green and blue.. Unbeatable "natural" combination..!!

And guess what ? the birds are back..to their favorite green habitat..

Let's look at some of those little flowers that have come up now..

And now, let's get back to the birds..

Oh..they are busy weaving a cute little house for them...!!

Still busy constructing.. ??? Okie.. carry on..

Ah.. now I see.. you've brought some more materials to thicken the walls..!!

Hmm.. busy with interiors and final supervisions ??

Oh.. I missed to notice that you have already constructed 4 houses.. so soon..

unbelievable..!! you guys should be in BDA or BBMP or metro works..!!

Can we have a quiet look at your constructions, please...

Wow.. That looks very 'welcoming'..

May I come inside, please ?

Oh.. you are still busy with the final touches..

Alright, carry on..  And make sure you do a quality control check in the end..

If any eggs drop out, they are sure to become spicy omlettes..!! hmm.. well then...

Ok guys.. that's all I wanted to share..hope you enjoyed the pictures..!!