A total of 17 Naval Officers graduated as Pilots at the Passing Out Parade (POP) held at the premier Naval Air Station INS Rajali in Arakkonam near Chennai on Friday. The POP marked the graduation of the 103 Helicopter Conversion Course (HCC) and completion of Stage I training of Basic Helicopter Conversion Course (BHCC).
A total of 17 Naval Officers, including three from the 4th BHCC were awarded the prestigious ‘Golden Wings’ by Rear Admiral Ajay Daniel Theophilus, Flag Officer Naval Aviation. Additionally, 8 Officers of 5th BHCC also successfully completed their Stage I training. The newly qualified pilots of 103 HCC will be appointed to various front-line operational units of the Indian Navy where they will take on diverse missions such as reconnaissance, surveillance, and Search and Rescue and anti-piracy.
The POP marked the successful culmination of an intensive 22-week training program encompassing rigorous flying and ground training at the Indian Naval Air Squadron 561, the alma mater of all helicopter pilots of Indian Navy. Highlighting Indian Navy’s commitment to gender inclusivity and expanding career opportunities for women, Sub Lieutenant Siddhi Hemant Dubey successfully completed Stage I training.
The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command Rolling Trophy for the trainee pilot standing First in Order of Merit in Flying was awarded to Lt Mani Dixit. The Sub Lieutenant Kunte Memorial Book Prize for standing First in Order of Merit in Ground Subjects was awarded to Lt Sparsh Sehgal. The Governor of Kerala Rolling Trophy for first in overall order of merit was awarded to Lt Mani Dixit. In its rich history spanning more than five decades, Helicopter Training School has trained 849 pilots of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard as well as friendly foreign nations. The Helicopter Training School located at INS Rajali, Arakkonam provides a safe and conducive training environment to generate the skills required for skillfull operators in the maritime environment.
