New All-Women Sky-Diving Team to Perform on Air Force Day
 |
October 3, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
After three women Indian Air Force officers climbed Mount Everest, it spurred female officers to form an all-women sky-diving team.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has formed a new all-women sky-diving team after three of their fellow female officers successfully climbed Mount Everest.
The team hopes to showcase its first ever performance at the Indian Air Force Day 79th anniversary celebrations on October 8.
Six female officers of the Indian Air Force are part of the team who have been training hard for their first ever performance, according to officials in the IAF.
It is thought that this will be the first all-women sky-diving team of any defence force in the world.
IAF officials told The Times of India: “We are going to have an all-women sky-diving team and they are practising for the Air Force Day Parade on October 8.”
The idea to have an all-women team like this was proposed after three women successfully scaled Mount Everest earlier this year in June.
Flight Lieutenant Nivedita Choudhary, Squadron Leader Nirupama Pandey and Flight Lieutenant Rajika Sharma became the first three women IAF officers to have achieved the 8,848-metre summit.
“Not only did our women officers scale the Mount Everest, they also took the second and sixth position in the International High Altitude Marathon held there,” an official said.
On October 8, the sky-diving team will be there alongside the well known sky-diving team ‘Akashganga’, who have been performing for several years at both national and international events.
By Rebekah Bickerton
[Image courtesy of codefotos]
