Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal becomes first woman flight engineer

Breaking the glass ceiling, Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal of Chandigarh has scripted history by becoming the first woman flight engineer to be inducted into the Indian Air Force.

Commissioned in 2015, Jaiswal is from the 112th Helicopter Unit at Yelahanka airbase, near Bengaluru. She has served as a battery commander in a frontline surface-to-air missile squadron before being selected for the six-month flight engineer course. During the gruelling training, she trained shoulder to shoulder with her male counterparts, and displayed unflinching commitment, dedication and perseverance. She successfully completed the course and earned her Flight Engineer's wing on 15 Feb 2019.

Jaiswal did her schooling from Chandigarh and then completed her BTech from Panjab University.

As a flight engineer, Jaiswal will be posted to operational helicopter units that undertake flying missions in varied geographical and climatic conditions, ranging from Siachen Glacier to hot deserts and coastal areas.

A flight engineer is a member of the flight crew responsible for monitoring and operating complex aircraft systems.

“Hina was the first woman officer in the IAF to apply for the flight engineer’s course when she was posted at Jamnagar and this step was well appreciated by her colleagues as well as seniors.

The only daughter of Mr D K Jaiswal and Mrs Anita Jaiswal, describes her achievement as a "Dream come true". Since childhood she had aspired to don the uniform and take on the skies as aviator. 

Finally her dreams have manifested into reality after successfully graduating from the alma mater of Heli-Lift.