Where Eagles Dare

The High Fliers of Air India

The room was full of excitement as the smartly attired women of Air India slowly filled the spaces outnumbering the men at the Centaur Hotel on a Tuesday morning, O7 Mar 2017.In a country where most of the women are struggling for their rights, here was an occasion felicitating the ‘Women Power’ that has not only taken wings but flies high. The list of achievements will leave anyone spellbound. Air India, the national carrier of India was lauding the women who not only fly ordinary aircraft, but are test pilots, fly the jumbo aircraft, command the all women flight and circumnavigate around the world, hold the topmost positions in the hierarchy, and also work behind the scenes in the role of navigators, air traffic controllers and many more roles. It was a moment when any Indian would have felt proud to come across the ‘women of substance’ who have achieved feats of which stories of valor are made of.

All Women crew of Air India circumnavigating the world

From 1956 when Ms Durba Banerjee was inducted as the first woman pilot of Air India ( erstwhile Indian Airlines) to the  present day when  Capt Kshamta Bajpai and Capt Sunita Narula along with First Officers Capt Indra Singh and Capt Gunjan Agarwal became the first women pilots to fly all women supported and operated around the world on Delhi- San Francisco- Delhi route, the airlines has traveled a long way in every sense. In 1990, Capt Nivedita Bhasin became the youngest pilot in the civil aviation history to command a jet aircraft at the age of 26. Capt Trisha Mohan is the only qualified pilot that flies Jumbo aircraft of the Air India fleet.

With Capt Trisha Mohan

I had a rare honor to speak to Capt Trisha Mohan and learn about the challenges of commanding the mighty Boeing -747(The Jumbo) aircraft. She has a rich experience of 23 years of flying and has been flying the 747’s for last four years. According to her, the biggest challenge that she faced when switching over from the conventional jet aircraft to the 747, it was a question of ‘perspective’. The height of the aircraft is 64 feet and the payload is a massive 377.8 tons. The wingspan is 211.40ft. compare this with the Dreamliner -787 with a payload of 227.9 tons, wing span 197.3ft, height 55 ft. So for such a huge, wide-bodied 747 aircraft, the reflexes, responses of the engine and maneuvering are a different ball game. Of course, before moving to the actual aircraft she had undergone intensive training on the simulator with six degrees of freedom to simulate every possible scenario and give a ‘look and feel’ of the real thing. The confidence of Trisha Mohan was so reassuring that we are in safe hands that know their stuff and can be an inspiration for many. She shared some pictures with me, which I am taking the liberty of sharing here.

Capt Trish Mohan next to the might Boeing 747

As the world celebrates the International Women’s Day tomorrow, Air India is organizing a unique tour from Delhi to Agra for those women who have never flown in spite of their engagement with the aviation sector for many years. I wish the example of Air India in empowering the women and setting the example of what women can achieve can be emulated by many an organization.