Air Commodore Fuad Shahid Hussain (born March 19, 1920; died 9 April 1965), better known as FS Hussain, F.S., King of Fury, and the Prince of Pilots, was among the pioneer officers of the Pakistan Air Force, a fighter pilot, aerobatic pilot, and one-star rank air officer. He served as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Training) from December 1963 until his death in service during the 1965 war, for which he was posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Haider.
Born in the United Provinces, Hussain graduated from La Martinière College, Lucknow and was commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force in 1944. He later joined No. 4 Sqn, which was attached to the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, and deployed aboard an aircraft carrier. Assigned as an aerial photographer, he was responsible for capturing images of the aftermath of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
By 1947, he opted for the Royal Pakistan Air Force and was attached with No. 5 Sqn. Due to his prowess, he was selected for a course in the United Kingdom. He topped the course as a Category "A" Pilot Attack Instructor and set a Commonwealth record for air-to-air and air-to-ground shooting in 1949. The Commandant of the school remarked, "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".
At an airshow in honour of The Shah's first visit to Pakistan in 1950, Hussain performed aerobatic manoeuvers in an Hawker Sea Fury. The Shah, who was impressed, requested to meet him and ordered his court poet to write a poem in his honour. By the early 1950s, he rapidly gained fame nationwide and internationally by his initials "F.S." At the Coronation of Elizabeth II, he performed solo aerobatics to which Arthur Tedder, Marshal of the Royal Air Force remarked, "A generation of pilots is yet to be born, who will try to achieve the standards already perfected by Flight Lieutenant FS Hussain of the RPAF". Wing Commanders F.S. and Mitty Masud trained the pilots who set the World record loop with 16 F-86 Sabres in 1958.
In early 1959, Group Captain F.S. Hussain was appointed Chief Inspector of Flight Safety. In the year that followed, flying accidents in the PAF reached an all-time low, with only one fatal accident. Air Marshal Asghar Khan, the Commander-in-Chief, expressed personal satisfaction with his inspection reports and congratulated him for this achievement. By the early 1960s, medical tests suggested Hussain had diabetes, but Air Marshal Asghar Khan dismissed the diagnosis. Fearing he would be grounded from flying as a result of his worsening health, F.S. hid his illness from his colleagues.
At the onset of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Air Marshal Nur Khan appointed Hussain as the head of a committee formed to review operational plans. The PAF lacked the capability of night-time air defence which led to Khan assigning Hussain the task of developing night interception techniques. As a result, F-86 Sabres were integrated with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. These would prove effective with at least one confirmed victory against an Indian Canberra.
Air Commodore FS Hussain died in 1969. Sometime after his death, Air Commodore Riffat Mahmud, Director General of Medical Services of the PAF, visited the United States and took Hussain's blood samples to specialists of the United States Air Force. They found clear evidence of radiation poisoning and Mahmud shared the diagnosis with Hussain's family. Unbeknownst to Hussain, he had absorbed high levels of atomic radiation during his service in World War II, when he photographed the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, unaware of the health risks. In the years that followed, neither the Pakistan Army Medical Corps nor the PAF possessed the medical knowledge to detect radiation-related illnesses, and his symptoms went unnoticed during his yearly health exams.
Early life and education Fuad received his early education from La Martinière College, Lucknow.
Personal life Fuad married Zarina and they had two children, son Zahid Hussain and daughter Ambreen, who died in 2005. Zahid is a businessman in Pakistan and founder of the organisation, KOPAF, a support group for the children of Pakistan Air Force personnel.
In the Journal of the Pakistan Air Force (1988), Squadron Leader MT Khan wrote: "in his physical handsomeness he (Fuad) resembled the first Station Commander of Drigh Road, Group Captain Charles Elworthy".
Service years Royal Indian Air Force (1944-1947)
Commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force on 4 September 1944, after graduating from the 26 Pilot Course of the Initial Training Wing in Poona, Hussain was attached to the No. 151 OTU in Risalpur.
By June 1945, he was assigned to No. 4 Sqn. The squadron was attached to the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Imperial Japan, where they were deployed on an aircraft carrier. He was tasked with photographing the aftermath of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Accidents While performing unauthorised low aerobatics over Peshawar in his Hurricane IID on 15 March 1945, the aircraft struck a tree, damaging the propeller.
On 23 May 1945, he took off in a Spitfire VIII. After landing in Peshawar, he taxied into the Hurricane IIC of Flying Officer Bal Bhagwan Marathe at excessive speed from dispersal with extensive skin damage to the main plane and propeller.
Pakistan Air Force (1947-1969) Nascent years After the Partition of British India, he was amongst the few Muslim officers who opted for the Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF), and ultimately joined the No. 5 Sqn which formed on 15 August 1947 at Peshawar, where he equipped a Hawker Tempest aircraft and did his first solo flight.
On 21 March 1948, an air show in Lahore was organised to help promote the RPAF amongst Pakistanis. Flight Lieutenants Abdul Naeem Aziz and Abdur Rahim Khan, Flying Officers Masroor Hosain and Fuad Shahid Hussain took part in the formation. In the book "PAF Over the Years," Mushaf Ali Mir wrote that in his early days as a Flying Officer, Hussain's mastery of low-level aerobatics became legendary in the Air Force. He wrote: "manoeuvring just a few feet above the ground in a Hawker Fury, his propeller wash kicking up dust on the runway, or just missing the tree tops in a graceful 8-point roll, he made it all look like child's play."
At the first Pakistan Day parade in Lahore in 1948, he disguised himself as a mess hall attendant and rushed towards an aircraft, pretending to hijack it in an attempt to impress the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The radio commentator, who was in on the plan, added suspense. Hussain acted like a novice pilot, pulling off risky moves and pretended that he was about to crash into the ground several times. Near the end of the performance, he flew close to Jinnah, saluting him while he was inverted.
After the Air Force purchased the Hawker Sea Fury, Flight Lieutenant Hussain ferried the aircraft from the United Kingdom to Sargodha, in early 1949.
By April 1949, he won the first position in the Pilot Attack Instructors course at the Central Gunnery School Leconfield as a Category "A" Pilot Attack Instructor, while setting a commonwealth record in air-to-air shooting. The Commandant of the school remarked that Hussain achieved the finest result in the air ever experienced at the school.
In May 1949, No. 5 Sqn and No. 9 Sqn faced each other for the first Perry-Keene Trophy, in an inter-squadron armament competition. No. 5 Sqn was victorious and the team consisted of Squadron Leader Aziz ur Rehman Khan, Flight Lieutenant Fuad Shahid Hussain, and Flying Officers Imtiaz Hussain Agha and Stefan Tronczyński.
In Peshawar, on 12 December 1949, the RPAF held a performance to support its welfare fund, attended by over 50,000 people. Hussain was among several pilots who performed. He flew a Hawker Sea Fury and his first act was a roll while climbing vertically, known as a "vertical Charlie". He then executed a series of half rolls, rocket loops, eight-point rolls, slow and successive rolls, and demonstrated inverted flying. His performance garnered loud applause from the spectators.
On 5 February 1950, Flight Lieutenant Hussain was one of the pilots who participated in the RPAF's 'At Home' air display in Lahore Cantonment, organised by Wing Commander S.A. Joseph, which was attended by approximately 100,000 people. Hussain drew loud applause as he piloted a Hawker Sea Fury, climbing 8,000 feet in less than 30 seconds. The crowd held its breath as he masterfully handled the fighter, performing a series of fast, slow, square, and half rolls at speeds exceeding 500 mph.
That year on 2 March at PAF Base Risalpur, he took off in a Hawker Sea Fury and performed an aerobatic display in honour 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 Hussain and later ordered his court poet to write a poem in his honour.
By the early 1950s, he was rapidly gaining fame throughout Pakistan and internationally as "F.S.", and became a role model for fighter pilots in the Air Force. In November 1951, F.S. Hussain was promoted to Squadron Leader and succeeded Julian Kazimierz Żuromski as Commander No. 5 Sqn. Under his leadership, the squadron won the Perry Keene Inter Squadron Armament Trophy on 12 February 1952.
When the RPAF began to acquire jet aircraft, he was chosen by the high command as the leader of the two pilots, to ferry fly Supermarine Attackers from the United Kingdom to Pakistan. He led the two other Pakistani pilots along a lengthy route over Istres, Malta, the Gulf of Aden, Nicosia, Baghdad, finally arriving in Karachi. Thereafter, the newly inducted attacker aircraft were commissioned into No. 11 Sqn, earning him the accolade of being the pioneer of jet fighter flying in the air force.
In April 1953, Salahuddin took over as Officer Commanding No. 5 Sqn and FS Hussain was appointed commander No. 11 Sqn, succeeding Abdur Rahim Khan. The squadron was equipped with the Supermarine Attackers at Drigh Road, under station commander Group Captain Cheema. Additionally, Hussain was appointed Flight Commander of the squadron and tasked with operationalising the aircraft and training the crew. He also formed the first jet aerobatic team, known as the Paybills, who showcased their skills in a performance at the end of 1952.
In June 1953, F.S. left a lasting impression at the Coronation of Elizabeth II, where his daredevil solo aerobatics enthralled the crowd. After the performance, former Marshal of the Royal Air Force 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." In July 1955, Mitty Masud succeeded FS Hussain as commander No. 11 Sqn.