[🇵🇰-Airforce] PAF Retired Aircrafts

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Quick Overview:

After Pakistan declared independence in 1947, it remained a Constitutional Monarchy of the British Empire for roughly 9 years before it became a republic in 1956.

Resultantly, the Airforce was officially known as the Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) back then and had a bit different roundels and markings than it has today. 60 years later, the airforce has stopped using them but the Pakistan Navy's Naval Air Arm has started to use the same markings on their helicopters and aircrafts. Even though we have the modern PAF roundel in-game, it will be very cool to have these too for historical accuracy

 

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Spitfire Mk IX,

 

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The Royal Pakistan Air Force ushered in the jet age with the arrival of the first Supermarine Attackers, allocated to No. 11 Sqn in August 1951. A rather poor excuse for a jet aircraft featuring conventional controls, unswept wings, and tail-wheels, it was contracted by British leadership seconded to RPAF! As rumours of the aircraft being unsafe spread, one fine morning the mother of a young squadron pilot found her way to base to have a word with the Squadron OC directly and inquire from him if the aircraft was safe to fly. Now any other squadron commander would have given her some words of assurance and sent her on her way, but not F.S. Hussain. The loving mother was provided a comfortable chair to sit just beside the runway as F.S. Hussain strapped into his Attacker and for the next twenty minutes performed low-level aerobatics, including an inverted fly-past barely a few meters off the surface over the Drigh Road airbase runway.

Only F.S. Hussain could pull off a stunt like that. Within a few years, flight safety standards in PAF would go through a transformation, and such displays would become a distant legacy.

Air Cdre F.S. Hussain sadly passed away at 40 years of age due to diabetes. Flt Lt Hassan Zaheer, whose mother was the one that had inquired about the safety of the Attackers, went on to fly the B-57s before moving to PIA from where he retired as a Captain. He left for his heavenly abode last week.

The painting by the famous aviation artist Hussaini depicting this event decorates the home of a fortunate aviation enthusiast.