United States Air Force (USAF) pilot Major Taylor 'Fema' Hiester expressed shock over Dubai Air Show 2025 organisers' decision to continue with the event even after the tragic Tejas aircraft crash which killed an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Wing Commander Namansh Syal last week. In an emotional Instagram post, F-16 Viper Demonstration Team Commander Hiester announced that his team decided to cancel their final performance, along with a few others, "out of respect to the IAF pilot, his colleagues and family".

A post shared by Taylor "FEMA" Hiester (@femahiester)

Hiester, the Texas-born F-16 Viper pilot, with over 1,500 hours of flight time, had been gearing up for his own flight sequence when the Tejas erupted in flames. He shared his emotions were a mix of shock and discomfort, slamming the organisers for going on with the show.

"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. Together and individually, we all quietly watched the aftermath unfold from a distance thinking about the Indian maintenance crew standing on the ramp next to an empty parking spot, aircraft ladder laid on the ground, the pilot's belongings still in his rental car," Hiester wrote.

Hiester recounted that after the fire was put out, the organisers notified the participants that the display would continue. Their team left but he returned to the site an hour or two later hoping that he would find an empty space. But to his disappointment, the announcer was still enthusiastic and people were watching the show.

Hiester described passing the Tejas crew frozen in grief beside an“empty parking spot,” a ladder left behind on the ramp, and the pilot's untouched belongings sitting quietly inside his rental car. "I suppose each of us contemplated their new reality that came in an instant," he added, distilling the silent dread carried by every aviator who steps into a cockpit.

It was uncomfortable for me: US aviator

As the airshow resumed, crowds cheering, sponsors applauded, speakers proclaiming,“Congratulations to all of our sponsors... we'll see you in 2027”, Hiester felt an unsettling emotion. "It was uncomfortable for me for a lot of reasons, some of them selfish," he said.

"The people you invest in, the people that you love and the people that love you back... will be the only way you live past your own individual end," he reflected.

“'The show must go on' is what they always say. And they're right. But just remember someone will say that after you're gone too,” the captain said.

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