Hyderabad: The sky is now the limit for them, in all senses. It was a jubilant moment for 114 Flight Cadets of Flying and Ground duty branches as they were commissioned as officers in the Indian Air Force during the Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force Academy at Dundigal here on Saturday.
The graduating officers also included 21 women who joined the growing number of women officers in the IAF.
Six officers from the Indian Navy, five officers from the Indian Coast Guard and three officers from Vietnam (2) and Nigeria (1) were also awarded wings on the successful completion of flying training. The highlight of the event was the ‘Pipping Ceremony’ in which the graduating flight cadets were awarded their ‘stripes’ (Air Force Rank) by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was also the Reviewing Officer of the passing out parade. Singh also conferred the ‘President’s Commission’ on the graduating flight cadets who successfully completed their professional training.
The newly commissioned officers were administered the oath by the Commandant of the Academy. A synchronised fly past during the ceremonial salute and ‘Antim Pag’ (Last Step) added colour and cheer to the ceremonial setting. Flying officer Ashish Khattri was awarded the President’s Plaque and the Chief of the Air Staff Sword of Honour for standing first in overall order of merit in the pilots’ course by the Reviewing Officer, while flying officer Yash Kshirsagar was awarded the President’s Plaque for being first in overall order of merit in Ground Duty branches.
Another charming event in the ceremony was the stunning aerobatics performance of Su-30 fighter aircraft which left the audience awestruck. The performances by the Surya Kiran aerobatic team and the Sarang helicopter display team also enthralled the audience, which included parents of the cadets, personnel of the defence forces among others.
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