_Arjan_Singh_along_with_the_Chief_of_the_Air_Staff,_Air_Chief_Marshal_Arup_Raha_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
Flight Lieutenant Avani Chaturvedi (born 27 October 1993) is an Indian pilot from Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh. She was declared as the first woman combat pilot along with two of her cohorts, Mohana Singh Jitarwal, and Bhawana Kanth.[1][2] The trio was inducted into the Indian Air Force fighter squadron in June 2016. They were formally commissioned by then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 18 June 2016, to serve the nation.[3]
Early life and education
Avani was born on 27 October in 1993. Her father, Dinkar Chaturvedi, is an superintending engineer in Water Resource Department of Madhya Pradesh government and her mother is a home maker. She completed her schooling from Deolond, a small town in Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh.[4] Completing her Bachelors in Technology from Banasthali University, Rajasthan in 2014 where she joined the college's flying club which fascinated her to fly. She passed the AFCAT and further was recommended by AFSB.
Chaturvedi likes to play chess, table tennis and to do sketching and painting.
Avani's elder brother, who is an officer in the Indian Army, inspired her to join the Indian Air Force. She also has a few hours of flying experience in the flying club of her college Banasthali University.[5]
Career
She was selected for training at the Air Force Academy and completed the training at the age of 25. After further training, Chaturvedi became a fighter pilot in June 2016.[6][7]
In 2018, Chaturvedi became the first Indian woman pilot to take a solo flight in a MiG-21. In 2018 Avani was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant.[8]
Chaturvedi is posted in Indian Air Force No. 23 Squadron Panthers in Suratgarh, Rajasthan.[9]
Awards and recognition
In 2018, she was honored with the doctorate degree from Banasthali Vidyapeeth.
On 9 March 2020, Chaturvedi was awarded with Nari Shakti Puraskar by President Ram Nath Kovind.[10]
Personal life
Avni Chaturvedi married Flight Lieutenant Vineet Chikara in November 2019.[11]
See also
References
- ↑ Avani, Bhawana, Mohana become IAF's first women fighter pilots - Times of India. The Times of India. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
- ↑ First batch of three female fighter pilots commissioned. The Hindu. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
- ↑ IAF pilots test F-21 simulator. The Economic Times(2019-07-17). Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ↑ MP girl Avani Chaturvedi to be one amongst India's first three women fighter pilots. english.pradesh18.com. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
- ↑ Interesting Facts about Avani Chaturvedi, First Female Pilot To Fly Mig-21. SSBToSuccess(2018-02-23). Retrieved 2018-02-23.
- ↑ The first Indian woman to fly a fighter jet. BBC News(2018-02-22). Retrieved 2019-12-03.
- ↑ For IAF's first women fighter pilots Mohana Singh, Bhawana Kanth & Avani Chaturvedi, sky is no limit. The Economic Times. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
- ↑ In a first, woman fighter pilot undertakes solo flight in MiG-21. The Indian Express(2018-02-22). Retrieved 2018-02-22.
- ↑ Bhawana Kanth Is India's First Woman Pilot to Qualify for Combat Missions. NDTV. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ↑ Flying MiG-21 Bison matter of pride: Flt Lt Bhawana Kanth. Livemint(2020-03-09). Retrieved 2020-04-10.
- ↑ देश की पहली महिला फाइटर पायलट अवनी चतुर्वेदी परिणय सूत्र में बंधीं, जानें-'हमसफर' के बारे में. Amar Ujala(2019-11-29). Retrieved 2021-06-21.