Photo by Simon Watson
Aviation enthusiast, photographer and fan of the Indian Air Force
Phillip Camp first visited India for the Aero India Show in 1996 and then over the next two decades, his was an ubiquitous presence not only at such events that took place every two years at Air Force Station Yelahanka but at many operational bases in many parts of the country. He covered Vayu Shakti at Pokhran in 2018 and was at Aero India 2019 but suddenly passed away in England in September 2019, leaving behind a trail of fans, most of them from the Indian Air Force, who have silently mourned his departure.
The images of aircraft and personnel taken by him have adorned pages of theVayu Aerospace Review for over two decades and this article is dedicated to a fine gentleman and air enthusiast, especially that of the Indian Air Force.
Vayu’sAngad Singh was his companion in many ‘adventures’ in India and England and writes on his inimitable friend :
Aero India, Vayu Shakti, Iron Fist, Duxford, RIAT, Farnborough — so many deliriously happy, plane-crazy hours spent with the inimitable Phillip Camp.We have lost Phil after a battle with jaundice and cancer. Those of us who were his friends lost a wingman — who’d shot with us in the Thar desert, atop the FDD at Yelahanka, by the fence line at Fairford, and just about anywhere that had planes flying!
He loved India and Indian aviation, and I dare say had seen more of this country than many desis! He was something of an expert on the IAF, and was respected and admired by every Air Force officer and airman he met. I’ve seen firsthand the joyful reception Phil has gotten from officers he last met a decade earlier! He treasured his India connection and everyone who crossed paths with him certainly reciprocated.
Phil had co-authored a book on Indian Su-30s, and most recently wrote the definitive work on IAF patches, published in 2016. Both were smash hits among aviation enthusiasts. He was working on a Jaguar book and planned to write a lot more in retirement. His passing is a tremendous loss to the aviation community.
Goodbye Phil, and blue skies my friend.
Enthusiasm begets enthusiasm
Perhaps the most precious legacy of Phillip Camp is his extraordinary book ‘Squadrons, Patches, Heraldry & Artwork of the Indian Air Force 1932-2016’ which he wrote, compiled, designed and published in 2016. In his dedication to the Vayu Aerospace Review, he penned that “this is an accumulation of information. When I first came to India in 1996, your journal and theBattleaxes book (on No.7 Squadron) inspired me to seek further information on the Indian Air Force. As you know that time, there was nothing out there and no internet. Since then your journal has really impressed me. Such aviation history classics such as ‘Sprits of the Wind’, ‘First to Last’ and the iconic ‘History of the IAF’ in three Volumes adorn on my top book shelf with pride”.
Of course, over the two decades of his love affair with the Indian Air Force, Phillip Camp met with many other enthusiasts including Air Vice Marshal Vikram (Polly) Singh, Admiral ArunPrakash, SqnLdrRTS Chhina, Major General Atma Singh as also HennyPutkar, Vijay Seth, Atamvir Singh Multani, Sebastian Hoja and Air Cdr Rajesh Isser and many others, unnamed.
He interacted with virtually all Indian Air Force squadrons and establishments whom he recorded in the acknowledgements : Squadron Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 20, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 35, 37, 47, 48, 52, 101, 108, 109, 112, 116, 125, 128, 129, 141, 151, 221, 223, 224, AFA, FTW, FWTF, HTS, MOFTU, OCU, ASTE, ADA, CABS, HAL.
Verily, all the IAF’s key formations and institutions including Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and establishments of the DRDO. In parallel with photography, Phil’s ‘obsession’ with collecting unit patches began in 1996 when he was presented the unique (and sadly final) patch on the flying suit of the late SqnLdr S Bhatnagar who was tragically killed along with other IAF and DRDO personnel when the experimental HS 748 ASWAC aircraft went down near Arrakonam in January 1999. Since then, Phil collected over 1000 Indian military aviation patches, visiting small shops in Malerkotla, Ambala and Delhi Cantonment and a large number of these are included in his book.
Every squadron, helicopter unit and most institutions are included but Phil’s particular fondness was for the Surya Kiran formation aerobatic team whom he first visited at Bidar in 1996 and finally at Yelahanka during Aero India 2019, some images of which were included in Vayu’s Issue II/2019 (‘Through the lens of Phil Camp’).
One could go on and on :Phil Camp’s book is not only the Indian air enthusiast’s bible, but will serve as vital reference for posterity. It is humbling that Phil was so enthused by the Vayu Aerospace Review and The Society for Aerospace Studies that he dedicated the last decades of life to following his passion. RIP.