F.S. Hussain | |
|---|---|
| ایف ایس حسین | |
 Gp Capt Hussain during the 1965 war | |
| Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Training) AHQ (PAF) | |
| In office 1968 – 9 April 1969 | |
| Commander PAF Station Mauripur | |
| In office December 1961 – January 1964 | |
| Officer Commanding Flying Wing PAF Station Mauripur | |
| In office 1956 – December 1961 | |
| Officer Commanding No. 11 Squadron PAF | |
| In office April 1953 – July 1955 | |
| Preceded by | Abdur Rahim Khan |
| Succeeded by | Zafar Masud |
| Officer Commanding No. 5 Squadron PAF | |
| In office November 1951 – April 1953 | |
| Preceded by | Julian Kazimierz Żuromski |
| Succeeded by | Salahuddin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Fuad Shahid Hussain 20 July 1924 Lucknow, British India |
| Died | 9 April 1969 (aged 44) CMH Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan |
| Cause of death | Complications from nuclear radiation |
| Spouse |
Zarina (m. 1943) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | La Martinière College, Lucknow Initial Training Wing (Poona) Central Gunnery School Leconfield Day Fighter Leaders School German Air Force Officer Training School Imperial Defence College RAF Staff College, Andover |
| Nickname(s) | FS Hussain F.S. Prince of Pilots The King of Fury |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  Royal Indian Air Force (1944-47) Pakistan Air Force (1947-69) |
| Years of service | 1944-69 |
| Rank |   Air Commodore |
| Unit | No. 5 Squadron PAF (1947) AFS Ambala (1946-47) No. 151 OTU (1945-46) |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Sitara-e-Basalat (1957) Golden Eagle Award (Pakistan) Tamgha-e-Pakistan (1961) Tamgha-e-Diffa (1961 & 1965) |
Air Commodore Fuad Shahid Hussain SBt TPk (Urdu: فواد شاہد حسین; 20 July 1924 – 9 April 1969) better known as FS Hussain, F.S., King of Fury,[a] and the Prince of Pilots, was among the pioneering officers of the Pakistan Air Force, a fighter pilot, aerobatic pilot, and one-star rank air officer. During WWII, his squadron was part of the BCOF in Imperial Japan, stationed on an aircraft carrier. While there, FS as an aerial photographer, was tasked with capturing images of the bombed-out cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, unaware of the radiation exposure risks at that time, which eventually led to his death while in service, as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Training) at the PAF Headquarters.[1][2]
In his early days as a Flying Officer, Syed Masood Akhtar writes that FS' remarkable mastery of low-level aerobatics became legendary in the RPAF. “Whether he was flying a Hawker Fury just a few feet above the ground, kicking up dust on the runway with his propeller wash, or gracefully executing a B-point roll just above the treetops, he made it "all seem like child's play.” By the early 1950s, he was rapidly gaining fame throughout Pakistan and internationally as "F.S.", becoming a role model for fighter pilots in the RPAF.[3]
Due to his remarkable flying skills, FS was selected for a course at the Central Gunnery School Leconfield where he topped the Pilot Attack Instructors’ Course as a Category "A" Pilot Attack Instructor in April 1949, setting a Commonwealth air-to-air and air-to-ground shooting record. The Commandant of the school lauded him, saying, “This officer who is a member of the Royal Pakistan Air Force, for combat flying, is outstanding in every way. He achieved the finest result in the air ever experienced in the Central Gunnery School, Leconfield England.”[4][5]
On 12 March 1950 at Risalpur, FS took off in a Hawker Sea Fury and performed an aerobatic display in honor of The Shah of Pahlavi Iran. The Shah who was an amateur pilot, was deeply impressed by Hussain's manoeuvres executed incredibly close to the ground, and requested for a personal meeting with FS and later ordered his court poet to write a poem in honor of FS.[6][7]
FS left a lasting impression at the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, where his daredevil solo aerobatics enthralled the crowd. After the performance, former MRAF Arthur Tedder remarked, “A generation of pilots is yet to be born, who will try to achieve the standards already perfected by Flt Lt FS Hussain of the RPAF.”[8]
FS Hussain rose to fame once more on 22 December 1956, captivating the Karachi crowd with his signature slow roll and inverted pull-up performed at low altitude, flying solo at 600 mph. In the audience was China's Premier Zhou Enlai, who was on his inaugural official visit to Pakistan. Witnessing Hussain's spectacular aerobatics, Premier Zhou Enlai was so impressed that he requested Prime Minister H. S. Suhrawardy, for a personal meeting with F. S. Hussain to commend him for his extraordinary performance.[9]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "List of Pioneering Officers as on 15th August, 1947".
- ^ Flight International. 1969. p. 24.
Air Commodore F. S. Hussain died recently at the age of 45; his last appointment was as Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Training) at PAF Headquarters. In 1951, as a flight lieutenant, he had headed the RAF Fighter Weapons Course at Leconfield with the highest air-to-air and air-to-ground gunnery scores ever achieved by a Commonwealth pilot. He continued his long association with the Royal Air Force and was a graduate of the West Raynham Fighter Leaders' School, the Staff College and IDC.
- ^ Hussaini, Syed Masood Akhtar (2002). PAF Over the Years. p. 18.
- ^ Pakistan. 1948. p. 108.
- ^ The Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News. Vol. 76. 1949. p. 121.
- ^ Ayub, Soldier and Statesman. 1966. p. 408.
- ^ Who's who in British Aviation. 1967.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Sentinelswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Air Commodore FS Hussain: The pioneer of PAF aerobatics". 23 March 2019.