IAF gets its first female flight commander

Women in the Indian armed forces logged another milestone with the appointment of Wing Commander Shaliza Dhami on August 26 as the first female flight commander of an Indian Air Force operational unit.

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.

Command of a flight is the first key leadership position in the IAF. It opens up doors to women for command of higher formations, and being accepted as mainstream officers attending to core military functions.

Command of a flight is the first key leadership position in the IAF. It opens up doors to women for command of higher formations, and being accepted as mainstream officers attending to core military functions

A mother to a nine-year-old, Wing Commander Dhami has clocked over 2,300 hours of flying. She grew up in Ludhiana, Punjab, and wanted to be a pilot since her high school days.

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 war fighting roles. The IAF's first batch of female fighter pilots is already in service.

Wing Commander Dhami 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.