Squadron Leader Saanya Makes History as IAF’s First Woman Category-A Flying Instructor

“A proud milestone for the IAF,” the Indian Air Force said on Monday (May 19) as Squadron Leader Saanya scripted history by becoming the first woman officer in the force to earn the coveted Category-A Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) qualification.

Sharing the achievement in a post on X, the Indian Air Force said,“ her achievement embodies dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence — a proud milestone for the IAF and an inspiration for aspiring aviators across the nation.”

The Category-A QFI is the highest instructional rating awarded to military aviators, recognising exceptionally skilled pilots qualified to train and evaluate other military pilots and instructors.

To qualify, instructors undergo a rigorous 22-week course at the Flying Instructors School (FIS) at Air Force Station Tambaram near Chennai. The programme includes more than 200 hours of ground-based training along with extensive flying instruction phases.

On successfully completing the course, Cat-A QFIs are tasked with training ab-initio pilots, mentoring experienced operational pilots, evaluating instructors and assessing flight skills.

Squadron Leader Saanya was commissioned in June 2015 as part of the 42 Short Service Commission Course (Women) in the Flying Branch, a batch that included six women pilots. She was later promoted to Squadron Leader in June 2021, The Tribune reported.

The IAF follows a structured grading system for flying instructors. Below the top-tier Cat-A QFI is the A-Category, followed by B-Category instructors capable of standard instruction, while the C-Category includes trainee or probationary instructors.

Women were first inducted into the IAF Flying Branch in 1994 in transport and helicopter roles. A major expansion came in 2016 when women fighter pilots were inducted into combat aviation.

Since then, women officers have flown a wide range of aircraft including Cheetah, Chetak, Mi-17, Dhruv helicopters, as well as AN-32, Dornier-228 and IL-76 transport aircraft. They now also serve in frontline fighter squadrons operating Rafale and Su-30 aircraft.

Women officers have also taken on command responsibilities. In 2023, Squadron Leader Shaliza Dhami became the first woman officer to command an IAF combat unit, leading a surface-to-air missile squadron in the western sector, and earlier in 2019 she became the first woman Flight Commander after taking charge of a Chetak helicopter flight at Hindon Airbase.