The Naval Air Station INS Rajali in Arakkonam, TN recently celebrated the graduation of the 102nd Helicopter Conversion Course (HCC) and the 4th Basic Helicopter Conversion Course (BHCC). In a first, SLt Anamika B Rajeev made history by becoming the first woman naval helicopter pilot. She was one among the 21 officers who graduated. This marks a historic milestone in the Indian Navy’s history and is an indication of the changing tides in terms of gender inclusivity in the Indian armed forces.
Another noteworthy officer who graduated as a qualified helicopter pilot is Lt Jamyang Tsewang, the first commissioned naval officer from the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command awarded the “Golden Wings” to the graduates during the graduation day parade.
The graduation ceremony brought to the close a 22-week intensive training program that included rigorous flying and ground training at the Indian Naval Air Squadron 561. This is also the training ground for all Navy helicopter pilots in India.
On the graduation ceremony graduates were recognized for their performances and received special awards. the FOCinC Eastern Naval Command Rolling Trophy was won by Lt Gurkirat Rajput for standing first in flying. Lt Nitin Sharan Chaturvedi won the Sub-Lieutenant Kunte Memorial Book Prize for excellence in ground subjects. Lt Deepak Gupta received the Governor of Kerala Rolling Trophy for overall merit.
All newly qualified pilots from the 102nd HCC will be onboarded for different frontline operational units of the Indian Navy. Officers enrolled in the 4th BHCC program will move on to Stage II of their training at the Helicopter Training School.
