A US Air Force (USAF) captain has criticised the organisers of Dubai Air Show 2025 for continuing with the scheduled performances despite the tragic crash of an Indian Air Force fighter jet, the Tejas, in which Wing Commander Namansh Syal was killed. Captain Taylor "Fema" Hiester, a member of the US F-16 demonstration team, said his team immediately withdrew from their scheduled routine in honour of Wing Commander Syal, calling the organisers' move to carry on "shocking" and "uncomfortable".
"After two years of doing this job, that was a first for our team, and it came just before our final performance of the season," he wrote in a detailed Instagram post.
Hiester said his team was preparing for their final performance of the season when the crash took place. They immediately cancelled their participation and left the venue out of respect for the fallen Indian Air Force pilot.
"Though the show made the shocking decision to continue with the flying schedule, our team, along with a few others, made the decision to cancel our final performance out of respect to the pilot, his colleagues, and family," he wrote.
"Together and individually, we all quietly watched the aftermath unfold from a distance, the maintenance crew standing on the ramp next to an empty parking spot, the aircraft ladder laid on the ground, and the pilot's belongings still in his rental car," he added.
He said he expected the show to be halted after the fatal accident; instead, he found the announcer continuing "enthusiastically" while the crowd watched the next flying acts with excitement.
"The announcer was still enthusiastic, the crowd still watched the next several routines with excitement and when the show was over, it ended 'Congratulations to all of our sponsors, performers and we'll see you in 2027,'" he added.
In his post, Hiester said the situation felt "uncomfortable" for many reasons, including the thought of his own team walking out of a crash site without him while music played and another act took the stage.
Just before their final performance of the season, Hiester said he realised that the only thing that truly mattered was his team - the people who had become his family.
"Whatever guise, whatever 'rockstar treatment', the fancy dinners and sponsor chalets, my team, who became my family, is all I ever had in the first place," he said, adding that it's a lesson he will keep with him long after beyond his demonstration-flying career.
"The people you invest in, the people that love and the people that love you back, whether they have your blood or not, will be the only way you live past your own individual end," he wrote.
"Once the black smoke is gone and out of sight, the company you work for, the dollars you stressed about making, the people you didn't know but worked so hard to please will still stand there listening to rock and roll and film the very next act that follows," he wrote.
He concluded the post with the sharp reminder, "The show must go on, that they say always. And they're right. But just remember, someone will say that after you're gone too. Thanks."
Wing Commander Namansh Syal, 34, died after failing to recover from a negative-G maneuver at low altitude, causing his plane to crash during a flying demonstration at the Dubai Air Show on Friday. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has constituted a court of inquiry to ascertain the cause of the fatal crash.
"A dedicated fighter pilot and thorough professional, he served the nation with unwavering commitment, exceptional skill, and an unyielding sense of duty. His dignified persona earned him immense respect through a life devoted to service, and was visible in the send-off attended by UAE officials, colleagues, friends, and the officials of the Indian Embassy," an IAF statement read.
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