When India's first flying club for civilians opened
in Bombay in 1929, amongst it's members were JRDT and his sisters, the Late Lady Dinshaw Petite and Mrs. Rodabey
Sawney.
However,
the first lady to hold the distinction of getting certified was Urmilla Parekh. She acquired her Private Pilot License
(no. 105) in 1930.
In I947 Prem
Mathur started flying and became the first woman to obtain a Commercial Pilots License.
In 1950,
she won the National Air Race arranged by the Aero Club of India.
In 1951,
she became the first woman to be employed as a pilot by Deccan Airways. In her time she had the opportunity to fly very distinguished
personalities like Lal Bahadur Shastry, Indira Gandhi, Lady Mountbatten etc.
In 1953,
the National Domestic Airline came into being with the amalgamation of many private airlines. On 2nd October 1953, Capt. Prem Mathur started flying as Co-pilot with Indian Airlines and India became the first country in the world to employ a woman pilot in their IATA approved Indian Airlines
Ltd.
In 1956,
Capt. Durba Banerjee became the second woman commercial pilot of India and joined Indian Airlines as a Co-pilot
sometime in 1966. Later she flew as Co-pilot on the B737 and got her Command in 1979.
In that same year, Raj
Mitroo became the country's first woman glider pilot.
In 1967, Chanda Sawant Budhabhatti
became the first woman to obtain an FAA Commercial Pilot certificate.
In 1976, the first woman
flight instructor and agropilot took shape in Binodini Devi Laishram.
In 1984, Dr. Prabhavati
Dixit became the first 65 year young ;) woman to obtain a Private Pilot License.
In 1985, First lady Captain
on a Fokker Friendship F-27 & the first woman in the world to Captain an all woman air crew that same year
in November - none other than: Capt. Saudamini Deshmukh.
In 1987, she became the
first Asian woman check pilot on F-27.
In 1988, first woman Captain
on B737.
In 1989, first woman Captain to
pilot an all-woman crew on the B737.
In 1994, first woman Captain
on Airbus A320 & that same year, first Asian woman to pilot an all-woman crew on the Airbus A320.
Meanwhile, in 1990, the
World's youngest woman Commander on the B737 - Capt. Nivedita Jain Bhasin.
In 1993 - The first woman
to obtain a balloon & airship license? Anita Krishnan Yadav.
Not being left behind in
the airforce, in 1995, Cheryl Dutta & Simran Sondhi team up to be the first woman flight cadets to constitute
the first all-woman crew-ed helicopter flight.
In 1996, Capt. Indrani
Singh became the first woman to command the Airbus A300 in India.
The youngest woman to acquire
a commercial pilot license was Neetu Gupta, in 1997.
The first all-woman crew operating
an international flight constituted Capt. Sangita Kabra-Bangar & Capt. Anupama Kohli, in 1998.
In 1998, First Indian woman
to set a speed record (recognised by National Aeronautical Association, USA & Federation Aeronautique, International,
France) - our President, Chanda Sawant-Budhabhatti.
In 2004, Capt. Sangita Kabra-Bangar
became the first woman A320 Check Pilot.
