5 IAF aircraft that give me joy

Most things sicken me after a while in varying degrees of time spent. This is perhaps true of most people, but I find that as I grow older, the latitude I have at my command for most things draws thin. I put it down to age and a general crabbiness that comes with it.

Like anyone else, most things I know I have an infinite capacity for are close loved ones and friends. But also among the handful of things I cannot conceivably tire of, though, is aircraft.

Aircraft of any kind. I don't know as much about them as I'd like - nowhere close to the knowledge brandished by many of my peers, whose command I marvel at - but this I can submit without a doubt. If life had to be a blinkered conveyor belt through an endless hall of aircraft through the years in an endless loop, I'd happily step aboard.

On recent travels to Sweden and the United States, I was presented the opportunity to gawk wordlessly inside stadium-sized halls filled with priceless relics from the history of aviation. From a P-51 Mustang that flew missions in the Korean War, to the DC-3 intelligence gathering aircraft that was shot down by Russia in 1952 only to be found half a century later at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

From Enola Gay, the fearsome B-29 Superfortress that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima to a Nazi Junkers Ju-87 diver bomber that was shot out of the sky by Allied air defence in World War II. Museums across the world.

The thing is, we in India don't ever need to look very far for a rich aviation heritage. You'd be forgiven for not knowing very much about India's military aviation history, even if you had the slightest enthusiasm for the subject. That could be put down to the Indian Air Force museum that adorns the edges of Delhi's VVIP airport. It's shy, difficult to access and clunky at best. And it isn't a fraction of the kind of museum it ought to be, given the rich treasures it houses.

Happily, in August this year, the government announced that over the next three to five years, a brand new aviation and aerospace museum would be constructed in the national capital to truly capture the history of India's tryst with aviation.

I, for one, cannot wait. So I've decided to run you through the five Indian Air Force aircraft through history that have given me joy.

1) Hawker Tempest

Famous for its indispensable ground support role during the hostilities that broke out in Jammu & Kashmir right after Indian independence, the British Hawker Tempest was a sturdy little fighter-bomber that its pilots adored. Incredibly swift at low altitude and packing wonderful punch in terms of endurance and firepower, the Tempest led the airborne pushback of hostile invaders in the days after India became a free nation.

2) Vultee Vengeance

An unsung relic from World War II was the American Vultee Vengeance, a dive-bomber built for a Britain that had been awed by the soon-to-be-iconic gull-winged Stuka dive-bomber. The Vengeance would never be as agile an aeroplane as the Stuka, but it was well loved in operations.

Robust and sturdy, the aircraft was bedevilled during the design phase by centre-of-gravity problems and dive performance that critically limited forward visibility, crippling pilots during landing test flights. But when the Vengeance was fine-tuned, it turned out to be a sturdy, robust little bomber that was used extensively by the Royal Indian Air Force during the Burma Campaign.

3) Supermarine Spitfire

I could have chosen another type, given how much popular culture has been devoted over the years to the Spitfire, but I cannot ignore true joy. That would have been an attempt to balance it out but let’s be honest here, it would be plain unfair. The Spitfire, produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft in history, was by far the most famous World War II fighter.

A compact, nimble interceptor that was designed for angry short-range dogfights, the Spitfire manned a handful of combat squadrons in early IAF service. Magnificent flight performance, the circumstances in which it flew and a huge number of pilots who became heroes behind the stick of lonely Spitfire cockpits, launched the aircraft into the realm of legend while it still flew.

Oh, and it's still flying. Over 50 restored Spitfires still fly at air shows around the world by enthusiasts who unanimously love the type more than any other.

4) de Havilland Vampire

It's impossible not to love the Vampire. Dinky, compact and easily recognised by its twin boom aft section, the Vampire was anything but cute in the air. One of the earliest operational jet fighters, the Vampire was a dependable tactical aircraft for both intercept and strike roles.

In 1954, a Vampire became the first jet fighter to cross the Atlantic amidst controversy with competing American-built aircraft. In Indian service, the Vampire saw a major role in 1965 war, but was outclassed frequently and famously by higher performance American-built aircraft in operation with the PAF at the time.

5) B-24 Liberator

The B-24 was an unadulterated beast in its day, and hard not to love even now. Run your eyes along its ungainly tough-as-shit lines, each one shouting “trouble”. There's a good reason why it broke several records - including most produced heavy bomber ever and most produced American military aircraft in history.

Unlike higher performance peers, the B-24 acquitted itself by being brilliantly flexible to planners, allowing squadrons to quickly deploy the four-propeller type for cargo and other operations. British operated B-24s operated in Indian airspace and beyond right before independence in the bomber role, with a certain number operating in a cargo role later.

Over a decade, I've heard stories from veteran pilots of the view from a B-24 cockpit. The next time I'm at the IAF museum, I'm hoping they'll let me hop in. The view, of course. I'll have the picture.