Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi has created history by becoming the first Indian woman fighter pilot to fly solo. Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi is one of the three in the first batch of female pilots, besides Bhawana Kanth and Mohana Singh, who were inducted in Indian Air Force fighter squadron on June 18, 2016.
First, she has created history by becoming the first woman pilot of the Indian Air Force and now the first Indian woman to complete a solo flight on a MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft. Here are few inspiring facts about Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi which will motivate young aspirants.
5 Inspiring Facts About Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi
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Avani Chaturvedi, 24, comes from Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district. She did her schooling from Deoland, a small town in Madhya Pradesh and went on to study Bachelors in Technology from Banasthali University, Rajasthan. During this time, she joined the Flying Club and went on to pass AFCAT exam and SSB Interview to join the Indian Air Force Flying Branch COURSE NO. 197/15F/SSC(W) in Jan 2015.
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Avani Chaturvedi completed her training at Hyderabad Air Force Academy. Her inspiration to fly fighter jets comes from her brother who is in the Army. Her father, Dinkar Chaturvedi, is an executive engineer in Water Resource Department of Madhya Pradesh government and her mother is a homemaker.
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Avani Chaturvedi’s accomplishment has put India on the global list of countries such as the United States, Israel, Britain, and Pakistan, where women fly fighter jets. Congresswoman Martha McSally, a top American lawmaker, who was her country’s first female fighter pilot, has congratulated Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi for breaking India’s glass ceiling by becoming the first Indian woman to fly a fighter jet solo.
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“She (Avani) always used to say that she would become Kalpana Chawla someday,” her mother Savita told. Avani’s mother revealed that her daughter had kept the news of her appearing for IAF exam a secret till the last minute. It was only after she received the selection letter, the news about Avani joining the IAF was disclosed. She was inspired to join the armed forces by her brother who is a Lieutenant in the Indian Army.
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“Any air force is defined by its fighters. My dream is to become a good fighter pilot, on whom my seniors can rely when it comes to flying live operations. I want to fly the best fighter aircraft and learn more and more each day” She said. Once She completes stage-3 training at Bidar in Karnataka next year, she would be able to fly fighter jets like Sukhoi and Tejas.
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Apart from flying fighter jets, she likes to play chess, table tennis. She also sketches and paints.
We all are proud of you air warrior!
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