Meet Hina Jaiswal, Indian Air Force's first woman flight engineer
Hina Jaiswal completed her course at Bengaluru's Air Force Station in Yelahanka and has become the first Indian woman flight engineer.
FollowBengaluru: Flight lieutenant Hina Jaiswal has been selected for the prestigious flight engineers’ course. Shehas successfully completed the course at 112 Helicopter Unit, Air Force Station, Yelahanka, and has created history by becoming the first Indian woman flight engineer.
In a press release, it is said that Hina Jaiswal was commissioned on January 5, 2015, in the engineering branch of the IAF. She has served as chief of firing team and battery commander in the frontline surface to air missile squadron, before being selected for the prestigious flight engineers’ course.
Jaiswal completed the course and earned her flight engineer’s wing on February 15. During the six months of gruelling session, she trained shoulder to shoulder with her male counterparts and displayed unflinching commitment, dedication and perseverance.
Jaiswal hails from Chandigarh and has completed her Bachelor of Engineering degree from Punjab University and is the only daughter to her parents DK Jaiswal and Anita Jaiswal. Hina describes her achievement as a “dream come true”. Since childhood, she had aspired to don the soldier’s uniform and take on the skies as an aviator. Finally, her dreams have manifested into reality after successfully graduating from the alma mater of Heli-lift.
As a flight engineer, she would be posted to operational helicopter units of the IAF. While in the unit, she would be routinely called upon to operate in demanding and stressful conditions, right from the icy heights of the Siachen Glacier to the seas of the Andamans. Jaiswal is enthusiastic about her stint in aviation and looks forward to embracing challenges with open arms.
According to the press release, the Indian Air Force, since 1993, has commissioned women in the officer cadre and they have also been successfully inducted as pilots in various streams of the IAF. In 2018, the flight engineer branch, which was exclusively the domain of male air warriors, was opened for women officers. Flight engineer is the member of an aircraft’s flight crew, who monitors and operates its complex aircraft systems requiring a specialised skill set.
