Another proud moment for pilots inducted in the Indian Air Force as Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh will be the first woman pilot to fly Rafale. Singh will be flying Rafale, India's most modern multi-role fighter aircraft.
Flight Lieutenant Singh is set to become India's first woman fighter pilot to fly the Rafale aircraft that was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force on September 10. She will soon join the Ambala-based No. 17 squadron, also known as "Golden Arrows." The Golden Arrows squadron of the IAF was resurrected on September 10, 2019, after the Air Force inducted five French-made multirole Rafale fighter jets.
Two women officers were deployed by the Indian Navy as frontline warship crew in a historic first, and Indian Air Force is joining in the trend. As of now, the Indian Air Force has 10 women fighter pilots.
Lesser known facts about Flt Lt Shivani Singh
- Flt Lt Shivangi belongs to Varanasi. the first girl from her city to become a fighter pilot and it indeed was a moment of pride and joy for her family.
- Her family lives in Phulwaria area of Varanasi and has a humble background. Shivangi's father runs tours and travel business and her mother is a teacher. She has a younger brother. When she had passed out from the academy; her family was exhilarated as they knew that she was to fly fighters.
- Shivangi completed her graduation to realise her dream of becoming a pilot. Since childhood, she wanted to soar high up in the sky.
- While in college, she joined the 7 UP Air Squadron NCC at Banaras Hindu University.
- She got selected for the Common Aptitude Test and after passing her SSB interview, she went to the Air Force Academy in 2016 as a cadet for getting trained.
- She was commissioned into the Air Force a year later. She is currently flying MiG 21 Bison, India's oldest combat aircraft.
- Currently, Flt Lt Shivangi is posted at the same base where Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is posted.
- Wing Commander Varthaman became a national hero after he participated in a clash between the Indian and Pakistani Air Forces as he was held captive for 60 long hours by the Pakistani forces. Sources were quoted as saying that Wing Commander Varthaman was Flt Lt Shivangi's flying instructor.
- Presently, she is undergoing her conversion training, which a pilot undertakes for switching from flying one aircraft to another.
