New Delhi. Questions are now being raised at the international level on the organizers’ decision to continue the air show even after the crash of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter plane at the Dubai Air Show 2025 and the martyrdom of Wing Commander Namansh Syal. The sharpest reaction has come from Captain Taylor ‘Fima’ Heaster of the US Air Force (USAF) F-16 Demonstration Team, who described the organizers’ attitude as ‘shocking’, ‘insensitive’ and ‘deeply uncomfortable’.
Captain Hester said in his Instagram post that the moment the Tejas aircraft crashed and the news of Wing Commander Syal’s death came, his team had only one decision to cancel today’s show. In his words, “We immediately canceled our demonstration. It was a question of respect – for that Indian pilot, his unit and his family.”
‘The show which should have stopped, kept going’
According to Heister, just as his team was packing up and quietly leaving the scene, the show’s microphones were turned back on, the music started back up, and the crowd excitedly watched the next aerial stunt. He said, “I thought the show would be stopped immediately, but I saw that the announcer was still enthusiastically announcing the next performances – as if nothing had happened.” According to him, this scene could shake any soldier in uniform to the core – on one side black flames of smoke were rising, on the other side there was applause on the stage.
‘Just an empty space on the runway… and an incomplete life of a pilot’
Heister said that after the Tejas crashed, they all stood at a distance and watched as the maintenance crew stood silently for their fellow Indian pilot near the same parking spot where the plane was being prepared a few hours earlier. He wrote, “The ladder was lying on the ground, the pilot’s luggage was in his rented car. And there was a silence – which the world ignored.” According to him, only a soldier can understand such a scene, “We all had only one question in our minds – if this accident had happened to us, would the world have progressed like this?”
‘The truth hidden behind the glamor of the show’
In his post, Heaster also mentioned the cruel reality that most pilots experience at some point in life. He said, “Fancy dinner, VIP tent, rockstar treatment… what is the real thing behind all this? Only your team – your people. They are your family, and they become your last symbol.” He also wrote that when aerial action, danger and death are involved in your profession, the “continuation” of a show is not just a technical decision, but a measure of sensitivity.
IAF gives honorable farewell to martyred Wing Commander
Wing Commander Namansh Syal lost control of the aircraft during a special maneuver – a negative-G low-altitude turn. He died at the accident site. The Indian Air Force said that a court of inquiry will be constituted to investigate the true causes of the accident. “He was a dedicated fighter pilot and exemplary professional. His service and devotion to duty earned him immense respect within the Air Force community. He was given the final honors in the presence of UAE officials, Air Force colleagues and representatives of the Indian Embassy,” the IAF’s official statement said.
‘The world moves forward, but the soldier’s family remains standing there’
In the final words of his post, Hester’s message was strong and warning. He said, “The show must go on. This is also true, but remember… one day someone will say the same thing after you are gone.” The way international pilots expressed grief and respect after the Tejas crash at the Dubai Air Show has once again raised the question whether protocols and condolences are just formal words in such shows, or are they actually followed?
