Fliers of Different Feather to Ground Jets at India Show
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NEW DELHI — The air force has grounded its MIG and Mirage warplanes for next week’s Republic Day military show, yielding the sky to slower fliers: the thousands of vultures who circle above New Delhi.
“The mighty and costly airplanes are vulnerable to the birds and there is no way we can counter the menace,” an air force captain said Tuesday. “It is too risky to fly.”
About 500,000 people are expected at the Jan. 26 ceremonies commemorating the day in 1950 when India became a republic. But also present will be the many vultures that constantly circle rubbish dumps scavenging for food.
In previous Republic Day air shows, helicopters preceded the fly-by to disturb the thermal currents that allow the vultures to soar into the paths of low-flying planes.
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