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Air India Women Pilots Reach for the Skies…
They are superwomen who can fly and carry thousands with them to distant lands. I speak of course of Air India”s magnificent women pilots, the largest such force in the world.Yes, they look like ordinary women with faces that could be those of your friends, your cousins, your family. At a recent event at the Consulate of India, eight of them were present; some were in sarees, some in pants, some in salwar kameez. Yet all eight have something amazing in common – they are all Air India pilots and had flown all the flights from India to the US to mark the symbolic day of International Women’s Day!
They were the star attraction at a reception Sandeep Chakravorty, the Consul General of India, had organized in collboration with FIA at New India House and they were given a rousing welcome by an appreciative audience. As Chakravorty noted, “India is a complex country. We have, through centuries, developed various types of customs, traditions and practices. These customs and traditions, good as well as bad, have become a part of our society’s collective consciousness. We worship female goddesses; we also give great importance to our mothers, daughters, sisters, wives and other female relatives or friends. But at the same time, we Indians are also infamous for treating our women badly both inside and outside our homes. Every now and then horror stories of our treatment of women assault our collective conscience.”
Indeed, it is a fact to be proud of – India has the maximum number of women pilots in the world, be it in commercial airliners or in the air force. According to the site Better India, out of the 10,000 commercial pilots in India, about 12 percent are women. This is much higher than the global average of 5.4 percent and surpasses the percentage in France, Japan and the US at 7.6, 5.6 and 5.1 percent respectively.
As this article notes, “From Durba Banerjee, who was the first woman pilot of Indian Airlines in 1956 to the 1,200 pilots in 2018, women in the Indian airspace have transitioned from being employed as only flight attendants to premier cockpit controllers.”
As she points out it’s all based on merit and on the quality of the work. Air India has the maximum number of women pilots as compared to any airline in the world and every year as a show of solidarity with women employees, the airline runs all-women flights on International Women’s Day. This year, as a first, all ultra long flights from India to the US – Chicago, Newark, San Francisco and New York were operated by all-women crews, right from the dispatchers to the ground staff to the pilots.
Says Sharma, “If you look at it in the larger perspective, India has had a woman prime minister and a woman president which is a glass ceiling which has not been broken in some of the most developed of nations even. Our women employees are an integral part of our company. Personally I would want us to be moving toward a world where people do not differentiate on basis of gender and finally in the long term, if International Women’s Day becomes redundant – that would be the best thing! Yes, women have more responsibility but we need to reach a point where men and women equally are responsible for every aspect of life, and where each one of us can contribute our maximum to society.”Two of the pilots who flew into the US were Captain Sunita Narula and Captain Kshamta Bajpai – two commanders who have also piloted the around the world non-stop flight from India to San Francisco.
We spoke with them both in New York to get a glimpse of their day and to find out what makes them the women they are, ready to lead thousands of passengers into the friendly skies under their command, helping families to unite in all parts of the globe.
Meet Captain Sunita Narula:
“Being a Pilot was Destiny!”
When did you start with Air India?
I joined Air India in 1994, after leaving Indian Air Force.
Did you always want to be a pilot, and how did you prepare for it?
No, I was destined to be a pilot. During my school days, I fortunately saw Pushpak aircraft (A trainer) flying over my house. It was love at first sight. It gave me a dream in my eyes.
My mother helped me and propelled me to fulfill my dream and I joined Karnal Aviation Club,to do my Private License. Little did I know that I was embarking upon a path which would take me to great heights beyond the dream that I had nurtured.
Once with private license in hand, I joined IGRUA, and worked towards getting the scholarship from the Prime Minister, as my family couldn’t afford it the fees. Once in IGRUA, it has been a journey with a few delays, road blocks and difficulties, but always a positive growth to reach these heights in my beloved organization Air India
What have been your biggest challenges?
I’ve experienced quite a few challenges as I come from the then non-progressive society of a small place in Haryana, where educating a girl child was neither promoted nor was a norm of the society. Adding to that was a lack of language skills, lack of resources and lack of a mentor who would show me the way to achieve my dreams.
I worked assiduously, step by step to overcome all these challenges. Once in Air India, the next bigger challenge became to balance the professional and family life. As with the job in hand, we cannot be “the hands-on 24 hour parent”. Once again, the support of my family and my innate nature of “never give up and hard work” helped me to draw out a balance between my family and work.
What has been your best experience?
To count a few, the day I started flying, the day I got my commercial license, the day I got my job, the day I flew on Airbus 310 as a first officer followed by flying the Boeing 747 and Boeing 777!
Having a birds-view of the world flying at 30,000 feet, creating a record by circumnavigating the earth, marveling at the beauty of nature by watching the sunrise, Northern Lights, live Volcanoes, snow-covered Himalayas and the Alps. Then there was the day I became a mother. All these have taken me to a different level of exhilaration. Hence it’s very difficult to count one best experience.
What are your thoughts as you fly thousands of passengers on their journey?
My first thought is to keep my passengers safe, look after their comfort and well-being specially on ultra long flights. I take extra care to assure that they are taken good care by the cabin crew on board. I assure that the crew stays alert to the different need of passengers, especially the elderly. I prefer to take a route which is calm with relatively less disturbances and turbulence, and try for “on time performance “ for the benefit of passengers and the organization.
Would you recommend this job to other young girls and why?
Sure, I would recommend everyone, not only girls to choose my path. It’s not a job for me, it’s a dream that I’ve been living and nurturing, a passion which keeps me motivated.
I would love my 14-year-old daughter to follow in my footsteps as I feel it’s the most gratifying profession anyone could embrace!
Captain Kshamta Bajpai:
“It’s Not a Job – It’s a Way of Life!”
You started with Air India in 1997. Did you always want to be a pilot and how did you prepare for it?
No! I wanted to be an athlete when I was ten. A leg injury laid my dreams to rest. I couldn’t sprint like a gazelle, but I could still jump pretty high. And of course, I could walk and so loved the mountains, for that is where I belong. I wanted to trek in the Himalayas. Any number of forested paths and peaks beyond them – in around Tehri and Uttarkashi – beckoned me.
I joined National Cadet Corps (NCC) Air Wing, when I was in College. My unit was located at Safderjung Airport. Nestled in the middle of Delhi, the Safderjung Airport was a treasure trove of aviation history. On way to the NCC unit, which housed their gliders, I passed by hangars that housed iconic airplanes, while more of them were left outside, hidden by shrubs and vines that crept upon them. My mind spun the stories of the adventure and romance associated with them all. I was beginning to fall in love – with aviation.
The NCC seconded me to the Delhi Gliding Club. I couldn’t stop the smile on my face as I strapped myself for my first flight in T21B with the CFI Capt RK Wason. He taught me to soar – and I got my Glider Pilot’s License! The bug of flying had bitten me well and truly. That’s what I would do for the rest of my life.
NCC provided me another opportunity – to learn power flying at Delhi Flying Club. I soon had my Private Pilot License. In the meantime, I applied for and got through the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademy for the course to get a Commercial Pilot’s License (CPL). However, I had no money. As a last ditch attempt, I wrote a letter to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Much to my surprise the PMO offered me a scholarship and I was on my way to IGRUA, from where I passed out with a CPL in hand!
What have been your biggest challenges?
I consider myself to be very fortunate. There were occasional delays along the way. I had to struggle a bit to keep my license current during the time I passed from IGRUA and till I was appointed by Air India.
There were times when I was not sure, whether I would be able to adequately balance my family life with professional needs. I missed being alongside my child at all times as he grew up. But I am blessed with a very caring family, who tell me that they are absolutely fine – with or without me! I’m like, “absolutely fine – without me!”However, by and large, it has been a beautiful journey for which I am grateful.
What has been your best experience?
Oh, there is much competition among “my experiences” for this one!
My first flight in a glider; the first solo; staying up for an hour by myself in a glider, in the air without an engine; flying the Pushpak, Cessna, TB20; flying the A-310, the B-747, and B-777; becoming mother to a child; finding out when he was sixteen that he wants to learn to glide; seeing him go on his first solo in a glider and him falling in love with aviation; flying across the oceans; Northern Lights shimmering through the flight deck; all women flights; going around the earth; the adventure continues…
I am definitely not able to choose the best experience.
What are your thoughts as you fly thousands of passengers on your journeys?
I want them to have an absolutely safe and very comfortable journey. The airline operations are extremely safe. On Ultra Long-haul flights – particularly on the journey over the Pacific I am worried about medical diversions. There are segments of flights where nearest suitable airport/city with medical facilities could be more than three hours away. I make sure to check with the crew about all passengers before we get to these segments of the flights.
I am concerned about the ‘stomach times’ of my passengers. We would cross-check availability of adequate variety of hot-meals, snacks and drinks.
I am concerned that the flight takes routes that are relatively calm and free of predicted turbulence. However, due to impacts of climate change, the Jet-stream oscillations have become worse leading to greater turbulence. As the atmosphere heats up the water-vapor content increases, resulting in more weather and severe weather events. I do worry about passenger comfort in face of climate change.
Would you recommend this job to other young girls and why?
What did you say, “job”!!? It’s not a job – it’s a way of life – it is my life!
Yes, I would recommend a career as a pilot, for the young and not-young girls. However, I would advise anyone looking to occupy a seat on the flight-deck not to treat it as a “job”! In my opinion, those with a passion for flying are best suited for the position of a pilot. Surely no one is born with a passion for aviation. So how does one discover, uncover or ignite this passion?
I strongly recommend that anyone exploring to become a pilot, should go and learn to fly a glider/sailplane or a motor-glider. It is relatively inexpensive and arms one with attitude, knowledge, skills that see you in good stead. It leaves you in no doubt about your passion for aviation. Gliding and soaring often ignite the passion within which would then propel you to a flight school.
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