First woman pilot of Indian Navy to join ops on Dec 2

First woman pilot of Indian Navy will join Naval operations here on December 2, two days ahead of Navy Day on December 4, a Defence source said on Thursday. The first woman pilot, Lieutenant Shivangi, will join naval operations on completion of operational training on December 2.

"Shivangi will graduate to become the First female Pilot of Indian Navy. She hails from Muzzafarpur, Bihar and completed her schooling from DAV Public school, Muzzafarpur," the source told PTI.

She was inducted into Indian Navy as SSC (Pilot) as part of 27 NOC course in Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala and got formally commissioned by Vice Admiral AK Chawla, in June last year.

The Navy's Aviation branch has had women officers operating as air traffic control officers and as 'observers' in the aircraft who are responsible for communication and weapons, the source said.

Shivangi, who had been undergoing training at the Southern Naval Command here, will get authorisation on December 2 to fly Dornier aircrafts. The Navy will have its first woman pilot trained by Navy to make the first cockpit entry on December 2, the source said without elaborating.