Nivedita Rules the Skies with Many Firsts

NEW DELHI, March 19 (Bernama) -- In 1990, at the age of 26 she took to the skies and stamped her mark in the world's civil aviation history as the youngest female pilot to command a commercial jet aircraft. Come meet Capt Nivedita Bhasin (left), the inspiring Indian aviator who ever since has been adding many firsts to her list of accomplishments in aviation. This senior Air India pilot shared with Bernama her remarkable journey in the male dominated profession starting by flying Indian Airlines IC-492 flights on the Bombay-Aurangabad-Udaipur sector. "As a kid I grew up seeing my parents doing mundane 9-5 office job. So by the age of six, I decided to do something different," said this wife of a pilot and the mother of another two pilots. "I don’t know how my interest in aviation actually started. It could probably be my upbringing and surrounding, as we had a neighbour who was a pilot," she said. A HUMBLE BEGINING Her foray into the world of aviation started at the Delhi Flying Club, the same place where this writer interviewed the pilot. When she was 14, she came to know about the Delhi Gliding Club located within the same vicinity. However, she was in a dilemma as the minimum age to enrol in the aerial activities was 16. "Hence, I started off with aero modeling," she said. Aero modeling allows students to gain insight into designing air borne vehicles. STARTING AS A PILOT Nivedita, who got her pilot license at the age of 18, started her flying career with Indian Airlines (now has merged with Air India) in 1984. Her first posting was in Calcutta, where the flights were mostly across the Brahmaputra river, using the 48-seater Fokker Friendship F-27. "The weather over the terrain is similar to that of Malaysia, very tropical. It was definitely a very good training ground to handle a sudden downpour or heavy winds," she said. A pilot’s job is often described as "hours of boredom and seconds of terror," said Nivedita. She recalled an emergency that took place in 1997, when one of the two engines of the aircraft she was flying failed. "We were on the Mumbai-Delhi route when one of the two engines failed while descending into Delhi. So, we informed the cabin crew but not the passengers as to avoid any panic situation," she said. Nevertheless, we made a smooth landing and passengers only knew about the incident when they saw fire engines and emergency vehicles tailing the aircraft on the tarmac. MORE FAIRER SEX IN THE PROFESSION NOW When Nivedita joined Indian Airlines, there was only three female pilots out of 600-700 pilots flying with the airline company. "Now, I am one of the 100 female pilots out of 800 over pilots. That’s like 12.5 per cent growth," she said. When asked if gender bias existed in this profession, she said, there was none. "No doubt, it was a man’s domain, but there wasn’t any gender bias. It is just that we have to always put out best foot forward and prove ourselves at every gate," explained Nivedita. In November 1985, she was the co-pilot on the first all-female crew flight on Fokker Friendship F-27 with Captain Saudamini Deshmukh in command on the Calcutta-Silchar route. The team also made the first Boeing all-female crew flight in September 1989 on the Mumbai-Goa sector. She became India's first female check-pilot on Airbus A300 aircraft after successfully completing the stipulated tests and training. RECENT FIRST In September 2012, she also emerged as the first female commercial pilot on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the much anticipated aircraft to join the fleet service of the country's flag carrier - Air India. The first aircraft arrived in India on Sept 8, 2012. "We were all being trained, but we never knew when we would have the opportunity to fly the plane. I was very excited when the first aircraft arrived and took lots pictures," she said. Then came a big surprise, a week later, she was assigned to get to Charleston in the United States to take the delivery of the airline’s second Dreamliner. "It came as a total surprise to me," said an elated Nivedita adding that the honour that came to her was out of sheer luck. JUGGLING BETWEEN FAMILY AND CAREER On the personal front, family comes first for Nivedita. "Even before joining the airline. I made up my mind to strike a balance between profession and family. I wanted to have the best of both worlds," she said. And this is what prompted her to join Indian Airlines in the first place as the company's routes were shorter, where the need to be away from home longer did not arise. Yet many times she wanted to quit as it was challenging to juggle between a flying career and family. "I wanted to quit at least on eight to ten occasions, but there was a lot of encouragement from family members. Having a supportive family is really amazing," said Nivedita. THE OTHER SIDE OF NIVEDITA Besides aviation, Nivedita is an avid photographer and loves traveling and scaling mountains. "I am an outdoor person. I am always looking forward to reach new places and do things. I am fond of photography, I have two Canon DSLR camera and six lenses," she said, adding that she likes to take pictures of people and nature. Among the countries she has visited thus far, Japan is her favourite country. "I like Japan a lot. The people are extremely hardworking and it is amazing how they react calmly even during an emergency, such as the recent tsunami," she said. Nivedita said she looks forward to travel to South America and Australia. "I also love to go to Singapore and Malaysia, where safety and fresh air makes both places attractive. There are so many outdoor activities that can be carried out in both countries. I have been dying to climb Mount Kinabalu as well as Batu Caves," she said. GIVING BACK TO THE SOCIETY AND INDUSTRY After gaining so much from the industry, Nivedita is keen to encourage more women to participate in the aviation industry. "When my children were still in school, I used to go there and increased the students' awareness on aviation," she said, adding that it has always been her aim to encourage more women pilots. Since the Boeing 787s have been grounded temporarily due to technical glitches, Nivedita took the opportunity to organise an event in conjunction with the "Women of Aviation Worldwide Week". The aim is to encourage girls and expose them to the joys of flying by introducing them to aero modeling, balloon flights, simulator flying, airline flying experiences, leadership talks by female airline pilots, all-female crew flights, interaction with female pilots of the Indian Air Force and a special cycling event on the importance of health and fitness for people in aviation. The message is simple: "If birds can fly why can’t you"?. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA