SPOTTED: Amidst the crowd, ADA master silently watches the Tejas display!

Aeronautical Development Agency boss P S Subramanyam watching the
Tejas display on the last day of Aero India 2013. Photo: Jithendra M

By Anantha Krishnan M
Express News Service

Bangalore: For Pinjala Siva Subramanyam, the boss of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the just-concluded Aero India 2013, was in many ways an emotional one. The soft-spoken aerospace brain took some time out on the last day of the show at the Yehalanka Air Force Station on Sunday -- to be part of the crowd, unnoticed. When City Express spotted the white-bearded man amidst the plane-crazy visitors, he was on the phone speaking with his ground crew on the opposite side of the runway.

“In another 10 minutes Tejas will take-off. It’s in many ways a special moment for me,” Subramanyam said, amidst ear-splitting noise of an American transport aircraft, which landed after finishing the display. In couple of minutes a Limited Series Production (LSP-2) aircraft from Tejas flightline took to the skies. When the commentator screamed ‘India’s Tejas’, the visitors went berserk in unison, adding more madness to the plane carnival. But P.S., as he is fondly known among his close circles, was cool. His eyes locked on to the skies watching Tejas perform some stunning maneuvers.

He said ADA captured the imagination of the visitors by exhibiting the technologies that were developed in the last two decades for the Tejas programme. “We have arrived and the people have experienced our strengths. It’s not an overnight exercise,” Subramanyam said. The simulated environment of terrain inside the ADA hall floored the visitors, including Defence Minister A K Antony, who is said to have asked his men to have the same script for an exhibition in Kerala.

He said the youngsters and students were impressed by the Tejas simulators at the show. “Our main aim this time was to give maximum exposure to the student community. Special teams were formed to explain the salient features of combat fighter technologies. We hope some of these talented brains will join our future programmes,” Subramanyam said.

As Tejas touched down, the ADA captain was ready to get going for the day’s last appointment. “During the 2015 show, I am confident that a production variant of Tejas will fly here. Tejas will be in IAF Squadron colours, then,” he said, adjusting his beard and disappearing into the crowd.

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