Gen Dalbir Singh, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), reviewed the Combined Graduate Parade (Indian Air Force Passing Out Parade December 2015) of the air warriors at Air Force Academy, Dundigul, Hyderabad, today.
As many as 209 Flight Cadets passed out as Flying Officers including 60 women Officers of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The COAS conferred the ‘President’s Commission’ to the graduating Flight Cadets who have successfully completed their Basic and Professional training.
Flying Officer Lavpreet Sharma from the Flying branch was awarded President’s Plaque and the Chief of the Air Staff Sword of Honour for standing first in Overall Merit in Pilot Course. Flying Officer Aabhas Sharma and Flying Officer Nagesh R Tripathi were presented ‘President’s Plaque’ for being first in overall merit in Navigation and Ground Duty branches, respectively. 
The occasion was witnessed by the family members, friends and well wishers of passing-out cadets and senior serving and retired officers from the three services.
The Reviewing Officer was received at the venue by Air Marshal SRK Nair, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C) Training Command and Air Marshal GP Singh, Commandant Air Force Academy. He was accorded a ceremonial salute by the parade followed by march past.
The Flight Cadets were awarded their ‘stripes’ (Air Force rank) by the COAS, the AOC-in-C Training Command and Commandant Air Force Academy. They were then administered the ‘oath’ by the Commandant of the Academy.
Gen Dalbir Singh gave away various awards to the Flying Officers who had excelled in training.
Later, addressing the parade, he complimented the newly commissioned Flying Officers for the high standard of parade. He emphasized that as military leaders, they had to choose “harder right than easier wrong”.
He said that an officer had to win the trust of men he commanded and broaden the horizon of his or her vision by interacting with every member of all branches and also from other arms.
He reminded them that it was the noble duty of every combatant to uphold the age-old military tradition of “Nation first , always and every time”.
At the end, the ‘Surya Kirans’, the IAF’s Aerobatic Team, presented a low level aerobatics show which left the entire audience spellbound.
