Avani Chaturvedi becomes first Indian woman to fly fighter aircraft
Breaking all the stereotype in all sectors, a woman has once again proven that sky is not the only limit. Flying officer Avani Chaturvedi becomes first Indian woman to fly a solo fighter jet. Chaturvedi flew a MiG-21 bison in her first training solo sortie, in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
The first sortie of Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi lasted for about 30 minutes in a super-sonic MiG-21 Bison which is also considered to be a difficult aircraft to handle. The Russian made MiG-21 Bison is also the oldest fighter in Indian Air Force's stable.
Avani hails from Satna in Madhya Pradesh and her father is an executive engineer and mother, a homemaker. She did her schooling from Deolond (near Rewa), from Adarsh Higher Secondary School and graduated in B Tech (Computer Science) from Banasthali University, Jaipur. Chaturvedi undertook sorties in a twin-seat MiG-21 Type 69 trainer with a qualified fighter instructor (QFI) at the Suratgarh airbase.
In 2016, the three women were commissioned as flying officers into the fighter stream after basic training in June 2016 on "an experimental basis" for five years initially.
OneIndia News