Indian Air Force Puts Women Pilots in Combat Mode...www.idiva.com |
Saarah Hameed Ahmed (25), first female Muslim pilot in India,www.indiatimes.com timagazine.com |
It is a known fact for centuries throughout the world women had not been enjoying as much rights and freedom as men. In the case of India, the position of women in the society in the past was not good, though paradoxically, in the Hindu pantheon there are numerous goddesses that are objects of veneration and adoration. But in reality, in many households the situation is not what one may think of; it is simply topsy-turvy, invariably only men deserved the right to make a final decision in the family. In the last few decades social scenario in India has started changing and and there is hardly any field where Indian women have nor made an in road and proved their worth. In the 1950s and 1960s more and more, Indian women with support from the family, entered undergraduate and professional colleges after school. In the last two decades women have found employment in many fields, including aerospace and military. In private companies and banking, their presence is quite astonishing.
For a long time in the past flying air planes or jets was the monopoly of men, not so now. The scenario has changed now in favor pf women. The male bastion - flying is being invaded by smart women who like to spend more time in the cockpit in the air than in the kitchen. In the past decade more and more women have taken to flying and nowadays they are dominating the sky comfortably with out being hassled by their mothers-in-law. Flying schools in India are turning out a higher number of women pilots every year. According to the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, India's global average is above 3% at 11.6%. Of the 5050 pilots in India, almost 600 are women. The close-knit family system in India is helping the new breed of women pilots, particularly when they serve international flights. Even after marriage, numerous families are supportive of them by way of taking care of there school going kids, while they are on flying duty. If women happen to be passionate about their profession, they remain single as marital responsibility will be at cross roads with their passion.
Nivedita Bhasin,only woman pilot in the world for B-787 then.www.yespunjab.com |
Tit-Bits:
01 India's first woman commercial pilot in 1956, captained a Fokker F27 Friendship in 1966. It was only after two decades next time a woman became captain. Ms.Saudamini Deshmukh was the first to command a Boeing 737 and later, she also became Airbus A320 commander.
02. Harpreet Singh Dey, president of the Indian Women Pilots' Association, was also the first female pilot to operate an international flight by a local carrier, Air India, in 1988.
.Indian women pilots.airsoc.com |
03. Saara Hameed Ahmed, daughter of Mr. Hameed, who owns a commercial photography firm in Bangalore, has the distinction of being the first Muslim pilot in India - a fact that will go on record, considering her conservative religious background. Working for Spice Jet, she has logged fore than 1200 flying hours to her credit.Besides her passion, she got her inspiration from her father's friend, who was an airline pilot in the USA. Thus she broke the misconception about Indian Muslim women being conservative. On February 14, 2009, you may be surprised to know that Suman Sharma, became the first civilian woman to fly the F-16IN Super-Viper and also the first woman in the world to fly the MiG-35.
04. Senior Air India pilot Nivedita Bhasin became the first woman to command the new Boeing Dreamliner. At 50 she brought the new Dreamliner aircraft (VT-AND), the second to be inducted into Air India, from Charleston, USA to Delhi. She was the only trained woman pilot in the world for B-787. While with Indian Airlines, on January 01,1990 she created world aviation history by commanding a commercial airliner at the age of 26 on Mumbai-Aurangabad-Udaipur sector.
05. Flight Lieutenants Alka Shukla and M P Shumathi were trained at the Yelahanka station, near Bangaloru, Karnataka in flying twin-engine Mi-8, a utility and medium-size assault helicopter. They will be trained in bombing, rocket attack, combat search and rescue, and special hell-borne operations.
Ref:
http://www.idiva.com/news-work-life/indian-air-force-puts-women-pilots-in-combat-mode/16486
http://www.yespunjab.com/national/national-news/item/8266-nivedita-bhasin-becomes-first-woman-b-787-dreamliner-pilot
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.in/2009/02/india-suman-sharma-first-woman-to-fly.html