Nashik: As many as 50 officers, including four women officers, passed out from the Combat Army Aviation Training School (CAATS) here after completing their Combat Aviation, Aviation Helicopter Instructor, and Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) courses on Friday.
Among the four women officers was Capt Rheeya K Sreedharan, who followed in the footsteps of her father, Brig Kaushal Shreedharan. After completing 11 months of rigorous training, she became the first second-generation woman officer to claim a legacy in the Army Aviation Corps and achieve this milestone. It was a proud moment for the family as fellow officers congratulated the father-daughter duo.
The CAATS Passing Out Parade was reviewed by Lt Gen VK Nambiar, Director General and Colonel Commandant of the Army Aviation Corps, who exhorted the officers to pursue excellence and uphold the highest standards of service.
Many veterans, alongside families and friends of the graduating officers, attended to witness the parade and helicopter combat demonstration.
The trophy for best student in the Combat Aviation course was awarded to Capt Saksham Goswami; the trophy for the best student in the Aviation Helicopter Instructor course went to Capt Henry Rajani; and the trophy for best student in the RPAS internal pilot course was awarded to Maj Arvinder Puri. In the observer stream, the trophy was awarded to Maj Tufail Ahmed.
During training, the officers underwent a rigorous flying and ground training schedule incorporating the latest techniques and technologies.
Lt Gen Nambiar, in his address, said, “It is my advice to the young aviators, who have been awarded the coveted wings, as also to the flying instructors and RPAS crew, that we need to be intimately aware of the capability and the limitations of the machines we operate. All our missions should be executed with an overarching umbrella of ‘flight safety’. We need to be acutely aware that military flying is always fraught with higher risks and should ensure that we do not cross such red lines that put the mission itself at risk.”
He added, “Always remember, aviation SOPs are not theoretical concepts. They are written in blood. Hence, SOPs are to be followed in letter and spirit.”
The Army Aviation Corps is a force multiplier of the Indian Army. CAATS, currently headed by Officiating Commandant Brig Satyavir Shokeen, is a premier training institution of the Indian Army that imparts basic and advanced flying training to officers. CAATS is also instrumental in developing future operational concepts and training doctrine required for battles.
