Ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu became the first woman athlete to co-pilot the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas at Aero India 2019 on Saturday.
She flew as a co-pilot with a wing commander flying the aircraft during the sortie routines in the area.
“It’s a great feeling and experience for me. I’m honoured. Women’s Day celebrations at Aero India gave me this opportunity and I will remember this forever,” she said, after she touched down a half hour after take off. Wing Commander Siddharth Singh said Ms. Sindhu navigated the plane for five minutes during the routines. “I showed some basic manoeuvres in the beginning. She was quick to adapt. Then we did some rolls, hard turns and loops. We carried out some attacks over a dam nearby,” he said, adding that they reached up to 5G during the routines.
Officials said Ms. Sindhu, who is 23, is the youngest person to have taken the HAL-manufactured fighter jet on a ride.