Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal keeps our flying machines in fine fettle
Bengaluru: Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal has scripted history by becoming the first Indian Woman Flight Engineer by successfully completing the course at 112 Helicopter Unit, Air Force Station, Yelahanka.
Commissioned on January 5, 2015 in the engineering branch of the IAF, she has served as chief of firing team and battery commander in a frontline surface to air missile squadron before being selected for the prestigious Flight Engineers’ Course.
On the successful completion of the course, she earned her Flight Engineer’s wing on February 15. During the course of gruelling six months’ training, she trained shoulder to shoulder with her male counterparts and displayed unflinching commitment, dedication and perseverance. Flt Lt Hina Jaiswal hails from Chandigarh and completed her Bachelor of Engineering degree from Panjab University. The only daughter of Mr D.K. Jaiswal and Mrs Anita Jaiswal, Hina describes her achievement as a “dream come true”. Since childhood, she had aspired to don the soldier’s uniform and take to the skies as an aviator. Finally, her dreams have manifested into reality after successfully graduating from the alma mater of Heli-lift.
As a Flight Engineer, she would subsequently be posted to operational helicopter units of the IAF. In the unit, she would be routinely called upon to operate in demanding and stressful conditions, right from the icy heights of the Siachen Glacier to the seas of the Andamans. Hina is enthusiastic about her stint in aviation and looks forward to embracing challenges with open arms.
In the last few decades, the Indian defence forces have taken long strides to become more gender inclusive. The Indian Air Force since 1993 has commissioned women in the officer cadre and they have also been successfully inducted as pilots in various streams. In 2018, the Flight Engineer branch, which was exclusively the domain of male air warriors, was opened for women officers. Flight Engineer is the member of an aircraft’s flight crew who monitors and operates its complex aircraft systems requiring a specialised skill set.
