First woman pilot of Indian Navy, Lieutenant Shivangi to join naval operations today; set to get authorisation to fly Dornier aircraft

Kochi: First woman pilot of Indian Navy will join Naval operations on 2 December, two days ahead of Navy Day on 4 December, a Defence source said in Kochi on Thursday. The first woman pilot, Lieutenant Shivangi, will join naval operations on completion of operational training in Kochi on 2 December. “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 in Kochi, will get authorisation on 2 December to fly Dornier aircraft. The Navy will have its first woman pilot trained by Navy to make first cockpit entry on 2 December, the source said without elaborating.