When the Mi-8 landed on Bengaluru’s roads

When the Mi-8 landed on Bengaluru’s roads
The Mi-8 is now at the National Military Memorial
By Iffath Fathima

Everyone made way for aircraft that was on its way to the National Military Memorial


Bengaluru roads became a runway on Wednesday as a Mi-8 Helpicopter took the route to reach its newest destination-National Military Memorial. As the aircraft was being transported via road, the police had a tough time getting all the clearances and ensuring the near ‘zero’ traffic so that the chopper isn’t damaged or doesn’t crash into other vehicles.

After a lot of brainstorming, the police gave permission for the chopper to be towed on Wednesday midnight. As it was slowing being towed in the night, many people who on Airport Road had a pleasant surprise as this was the first time they were seeing a helicopter running on city roads for such a long distance. “I was heading to the airport in the night and was surprised to see a chopper travelling on the road. I couldn’t believe my eyes at the first instance and then saw a tractor towing it. However, it was a great experience to see it. I saw a few people videographing the event also,” said Ramesh K, a resident of Sadashivanagar.

The Mi-8 helicopter which bid a farewell to the force in 2017 after 45 years of service was moved to the National Military Memorial in Raj Bhavan from the Yelahanka Air Base on Wednesday.

A towing vehicle was provided by the Indian Air Force (IAF) which towed the helicopter till Raj Bhavan. Traffic police were instructed to guide the traffic at Yelahanka, Hebbal and RT Nagar. It took a total of 45 minutes to move the helicopter.

According to a former retired officer, who had commanded the Mi-8 squadron, disclosed that the Mi-8 helicopter was Russian made and entered India in 1971. It was formally introduced in 1972. “The Mi-8 has been a great war horse for India. Moving it to the National Military Memorial Park is a great decision. People can come and have a look at the beauty. This craft has been a part of the Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka and Operation Medghdoot of 1989. It has also been a part of many rescue and relief disaster operations. It has rescued multiple civilians. The helicopter was also nicknamed Prathap,” he said. He also recalled that the Mi-8 kept all the armed forces stocked and kept the forces safe at the Siachen glacier and also protected the forces when during the operation in Sri Lanka it resisted many bullets.


It was being towed via road by a tractor to its new destination

It was being towed via road by a tractor to its new destination


Speaking about why the Mi-8 is not in use anymore, the officer said, “The Mi-17 have come in place of Mi-8 now. The Mi-8 have worked for really long and have done exceptionally well for the country. Now, the Mi-17 will go forward.”

How traffic behaved

About the diversion, a traffic police officer, said,“There are three routes that connect to the Hebbal flyover. Traffic coming from KR Puram, Manyata side and Airport all connect to Hebbal. We had to ask the vehicles to stop till the helicopter was moved. The helicopter was moving on the extreme left. It is a big aircraft so we have to take extra measures. We stopped the traffic from the Hebbal flyover and waited till the helicopter goes ahead. We noticed that vehicle owners were going slow and were cooperative. We did not face any problem. In 2018, another helicopter was moved from IAF to Jalahalli training centre, and that took five hours. But this went smoothly.”
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