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Overall view of the memorial column. The forward facing panel at the base carries the inscription as given in the main text. The rest of the panels bears the names of the flight crew.
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View from the east side of the memorial column. In the distant background, the pylon mounted HAL Kiran Prototype can be seen. The Kiran was earlier displayed at the exact spot where the memorial stands
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View from the west side of the memorial column. The memorial area is usually locked out, but it is possible to walk around the garden path around it to get a view of all the sides.
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The east side panel carries sixteen names - including three naval officers and one army officer. The names are painted in gold paint and are not inscribed in the stone.
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The West side panel, seen here, carries another fifteen names, which include two Naval Officers / Cadets.
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The south side panel, to the rear of the memorial, carries five names. The last name added is of Flt Cdt Sparsh Rana, who was lost in a HPT-32 accident in March 2005.
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Flight Crew Memorial, Air Force Academy, Dundigal
The flight crew memorial at the Air Force Academy is located in front of the the Air Traffic Control building. The memorial carries the following inscription on the front
AIR FORCE ACADEMY MEMORIAL
IN REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE WHO
MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE
DURING FLYING TRAINING
The names of flight crew who have died during flying training are painted on the memorial on the other three sides. As of 2005, 35 names are recorded on the memorial, these include five Navy and one Army officers. 14 of those commemorated were Flight Cadets, the rest 15 were instructors.
At some distance away, to the right of the memorial, a HAL Kiran is displayed. This aircraft was the second Kiran prototype and it was originaly placed in the same spot the memorial is now today. When the memorial came up the aircraft was moved to the right of the builidng and mounted on a pylon.
The Memorial was inaugurated on 2nd June 1991, coinciding with the 20th Anniversary Celebrations of the Academy.
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