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Yet another first for Nivedita Bhasin

Shireen in Hyderabad

Captain Nivedita Bhasin of the Hyderabad-based Central Training Establishment of the Indian Airlines has become the country's first woman check-pilot on Airbus A300 aircraft.

The 36-year-old Nivedita was accorded the Directorate General of Civil Aviation approval as check-pilot on successful completion of stipulated tests and requisite training.

The latter involved classroom and field training for operational knowledge, simulator training for flying proficiency, aircraft training for landing/take-off, line flying etc.

The Indian Airlines, in a release, said that a minimum of 500 hours' command experience on the given type of aircraft, total command experience of 1,000 hours and a total flying experience of 3,000 hours is required to become a check-pilot.

After proficiency tests and approval by the DGCA, the pilot is declared a check-pilot to carry out route checks for licence renewal, pilot-in-command and performance monitoring of other pilots, besides carrying out Line Oriented Flying Training flights for co-pilots.

Nivedita, who joined the Indian Airlines in 1984, has many firsts to her credit.

She was the co-pilot on the first all-women crew flight on Fokker Friendship F-27 with Captain Saudamini Deshmukh in command in November 1985 on the Calcutta-Silchar route.

The duo also made the first Boeing all-women crew flight in September 1989 on the Mumbai-Goa sector.

In December 1989, Nivedita became the world's youngest commander at the age of 26 on the Boeing aircraft. Later, she led the all-women crew of the Boeing flight as commander on the Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam route.

She became a commander on Airbus A300, with over 8,100 hours of total flying experience. On March 8, she had commanded Airbus A300 on the Delhi-Kathmandu route to mark International Women's Day.

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