Chennai: This Independence Day, News Today brings out to its readers the history of the Airforce Station in Tambaram.
Former IAF officer R Kannan, a resident of Selaiyur, said the origin of the Tambaram airfield dates back to 1942 when the British built this base with two cross-runways over an expanse of about 1,400 acres.
“This base was used during the Second World War as a Royal Naval Air Station and the main role was to facilitate recovery and to provide rest-in-transit to the Allied Forces,” he said.
He added that the station became an Flying Instructors’ School in 1954 when India and Pakistan were on the brink of war.
“Squadron Leader K L Suri took over command of the unit from 17 May 1957. The command was upgraded to rank of Wing Commander in July 1962 when N B Singh took over as the Commanding officer. The Command was further upgraded to the rank of Group Captain in August 1976. Group Captain N Gautam is commanding the unit at present,” he added.
He further said that the station plays an very important role in the Republic Day celebrations as many cadets who take part in the Republic Day parade are trained here.
He also recollected that several airshows were held in the base at regular intervals. “The station played a crucial role in the rescue operations during the Tsunami and many other recent natural disasters,” he concluded.