India mourns the loss of Wing Commander Namansh Shal, who tragically lost his life when a Tejas fighter jet crashed during the Dubai Air Show.

A Professional Hazard

• While a crash may appear as a system failure to a layperson, for a fighter pilot, it is a professional hazard. 
• Risk is always present in military flying and cannot be fully eliminated.

Difference Between Commercial vs. Military Aviation

Concept of Instability

• Purposeful Instability: Modern fighter jets like Tejas and F-16 are deliberately made unstable. 
  • A stable aircraft resists turning, while an unstable aircraft turns instantly, providing crucial agility in dogfights.
• Fly-by-Wire Technology: The fly-by-wire system is an electronic control framework that constantly adjusts control surfaces like wings and flaps. The human pilot cannot fly the jet if the computer system fails.
• Cost of Agility: The margin of error in flying an unstable fighter jet is almost zero.

Air Show Dangers

• Restricted Flight Zone: Flying in an air show is extremely hazardous due to tight flying zones or “the box.”
• Low Altitude Risks: Pilots operate very close to the ground, leaving no time to recover from minor errors such as air gusts or speed miscalculations.
• Perception vs. Reality: While the audience observes grace and precision, pilots experience real-time geometry, physics, and extreme stresses.

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Way Forward

• Strengthen Safety Protocols: Conduct regular audits, maintenance checks, and flight readiness assessments to ensure Tejas continues to operate with the highest safety standards during both training missions and public demonstrations.
• Ensure Neutral, Scientific Investigations: All crash inquiries must remain emotionally neutral, evidence-based, and focused on identifying the exact chain of events, not assigning blame.
• Reaffirm Tejas’ Safety Record: The recent incident is the only major crash in decades of flying. Even the world’s best jets—F-16, Rafale—faced crashes during development. Tejas has evolved from a prototype to a frontline fighter with an excellent global safety record.
• Integrate SOP Improvements: Insights from investigations must be systematically incorporated into Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to upgrade pilot training, refine aircraft handling, and enhance operational protocols.

Conclusion

The loss is regrettable, but it should not diminish national pride. Focus must be on facts, not speculations. Fighter pilots challenge the limits of physics so that the country remains safe.

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