‘Woman, no less than Man’: Wing Commander Shaliza Dhami first female IAF officer to become Flight Commander

New Delhi, August 28: Indian Air Force registered a historic event when it got its first female flight commander, Shaliza Dhami. With this, women have logged a milestone and proved that ‘Woman, no less than Man’. A helicopter pilot with 15 years of service, Wing Commander Dhami is also the IAF's first female Qualified Flying Instructor for Chetak and Cheetah helicopters.

 

A successful mother to a nine-year-old, Wing Commander Dhami has recorded over 2,300 hours of flying. She took charge of a Chetak helicopter unit at the Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Chetak is a single-engine turboshaft, light utility helicopter with a capacity of 6 passengers and has a maximum speed of 220 km/hour.

She is also the IAF's first woman officer to be granted permanent commission for a long tenure. A hard-fought legal victory in the Delhi High Court won women officers the right to be considered for permanent commission at par with their male counterparts.

Women were first inducted into the Indian armed forces in 1994 as officers on a short service commission in non-combat arms. After making a beginning in peripheral roles, women have made their way into warfighting roles. The IAF's first batch of female fighter pilots is already in service.