Shivangi Singh: Meet the first woman set to fly a Rafale fighter jet in India
At 25, the flight lieutenant from Varanasi is about to make history. And she was only 15 when she first framed her dream of ‘wanting to touch the sky’
Shivangi Singh: Meet the first woman set to fly a Rafale fighter jet in India
She was in her teens when her grandfather took her to the Air Force Museum in Delhi. When Shivangi Singh returned home, her mother says, she couldn’t stop talking about the planes, flight, and more than anything, the sight of women in uniform. Ten years on, Shivangi, 25, is one of only 10 women fighter pilots in the country, and is undergoing rigorous training to become the first woman to fly the Rafale fighter jet. She joined the IAF’s fighter stream in 2017. She flew the MiG-21 Bison aircraft soon after being commissioned, and was until recently serving at a fighter base in Rajasthan. Once her conversion training is done — this is the training required whenever a pilot has to switch from one aircraft type to another — the Varanasi girl will join the No 17 squadron based in Ambala, Haryana, a squad also known as the Golden Arrows. “From the place of temple chimes, look at this girl as she shines. It’s heartening that the IAF gave Shivangi a fair chance. I am so proud I donned the IAF bl…
