Meet Avani Chaturvedi: India’s first woman fighter pilot to fly solo


Flying officer Avani Chaturvedi is the first Indian woman pilot of the Indian Air Force to complete a solo flight in a MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft.

In February, India got its first woman pilot to fly a fighter jet. This is not the only feather in Avani Chaturvedi’s cap. The flying officer, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, is among the first batch of three women officers who were commissioned as fighter pilots in the IAF in June 2016. Chaturvedi flew solo in a MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft over Jamnagar Air Base on February 19 for around 30 minutes becoming the first woman to do so.

How was the experience to fly a fighter jet for the first time?
Although I am the first woman to fly a fighter jet, there are others in my squadron who have done that before. So I had spoken to others who have done that. I have also had training to fly solo. So it was not a eureka thing. It was planned and a part of the process. But the first solo is something different because you are sitting in the aircraft for the first time alone. That is a big thing. It is exciting and a bit nervous as well. After doing the solo, I was happy it went well. When we are in the cockpit, nothing else goes on in our mind. Whatever worry or trouble we have in our minds, we leave everything on the ground.

Why do you think India took so long to include women in combat roles?
After being in the combat role of the air force and flying the aircraft, I realised there is nothing which a woman cannot do. Those who possess the physical and mental fitness, be it men or women, they can take up combat roles. So the best thing is that we started somewhere.

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