Bengaluru, Feb 22 (IANS) The women crew of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was cynosure of all at the air show here Sunday with their daring aerobatics in homegrown choppers.
Squadron Leader Deepika Mishra and Flight Lieutenant Sandeep Singh were cheered by hundreds of spectators for being part of the aerial performance by the Sarang team flying the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv.
As part of the aerobatics team to perform in formation at the five-day Aero India 2015 trade expo, which concluded Sunday, Mishra piloted one of them while Singh provided technical support as flight engineer to the military variant copters.
Inspired by the aerobatics thrills of Surya Kiran aircraft and Dhruv copters, Mishra decided to join the aerobatics team after passing out as a flight cadet from the air force academy at Dundigal near Hyderabad in December 2006 and breach the male bastion.
"I used to dream of flying an aircraft solo or in formations for the thrill of it though I was not eligible then, as women pilots from only the short service commission had permit to fly non combat single-engine helicopters," she recalled on the occasion.
In a policy shift, when the IAF allowed women pilots to fly twin-engine medium-to-heavy lift choppers in 2010, she joined the Sarang team in July 2014 as Squadron Leader with a record of flying Chetak and Cheetah copters for 1,600 hours from Bareilly base in Uttar Pradesh and Udhampur base in Jammu and Kashmir.
The air force formed the Sarang aerobatics team in October 2003 for public performance at the 2004 Asian Aerospace show in Singapore and other national and international air shows to demonstrate the air prowess of Dhruv.
Sarang is also the only second military helicopter display team in the world after 'Blue Eagles' of the British Royal Army Corps helicopter display team.
Her husband, Squadron Leader Sourabh Kakkar, an aeronautical engineer officer, is also posted with the Sarang unit at the training command here.
"It's a great learning process and challenging job, as Sarang aerobatics team is a show-stopper at air shows, especially after the ageing Surya Kiran fixed-wing aircraft aerobatics team was withdrawn from flying display," Sandeep Singh told IANS.
Both women officers hope that an all-women team will soon fly Dhruv as a Sarang quartet and maintain its record of entertaining the people with its spectacular aerial feats.
When she steps out for her flying job, Mishra tells her four-year-old daughter Aalya that she would look out for her from the sky, while the little girl looks for her mother performing aerial ballet whenever she takes off from the air base.
Team India: Ashwin targets coach Gambhir, says, "We are where we are today in ODIs and T20s because of Rohit and Dravid."
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that India's rise as a force in the world of white-ball cricket began not with Gautam Gambhir, but with the era of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid.
Massive dome of a mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia collapses after a fire
The massive dome of the Islamic Center mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, collapsed like a pack of cards after a massive fire broke out on Wednesday. This scene was such, seeing that people got goosebumps.
T20 World Cup: Millions of dollars lost… Taking on India proved costly for Bangladesh; sponsorship deals were terminated in an instant!
The growing tension between India and Bangladesh is now clearly visible on the sports field and in business circles. According to reports, Bangladesh may once again face significant economic losses.
Chief of Defense Staff Bipin Rawat said – China is the biggest threat to India's security
Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat has said that China has become the biggest threat to India's security and the withdrawal of thousands of troops and weapons sent along the Line of
Another blow to PFI after the ban is, Kerala High Court's order - so many crores will have to be paid
The Central Government has banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) for five years for being in contact with terrorist activities and found indulging in anti-national activities. On Thursday, the
Recommendation to install small 5G equipment on electric poles and traffic signals, the suggestion to eliminate the need for approval
Telecom regulator Trai has recommended the installation of small equipment for 5G services on electric poles, bus stops, and traffic signals, as well as suggested doing away with the need for approval
Crisis on 5 lakh workers of Bollywood with a turnover of 2.40 lakh crores, if the lockdown is prolonged then there will be loss of 1000 crores
Due to the 15-day lockdown in Maharashtra, the shooting of films and serials has stopped. This has again created an employment crisis in front of 5 lakh technicians working on the set and other crew
Weather Update Today: Heavy rain will occur in South India due to Mandaus cyclone, and cold will increase in hilly areas
Snowy winds are coming from the hills amid rain and snowfall in the mountains of North India, due to which the plains of North India are witnessing a steady drop in temperature for the last few days.
US-made arms, ammunition seized in Mizoram
Aizawl, March 20 (IANS) Assam Rifles troopers and Mizoram Police in a joint operation seized US-made arms and ammunition in Mizoram, police said here on Friday. One person was arrested in
Two killed in heavy rain in Chennai: Record rain recorded in a single day after 30 years; Schools closed in 7 districts
Record rains lashed Chennai and its adjoining areas on Tuesday, leading to a flood-like situation in many areas of the city. Two people died in rain-related accidents. In North Chennai, a man died of
