Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 12

The Air Force is opening its doors to female NCC C-Certificate holders for direct entry as commissioned officers in the flying branch. The benefit is at present available only to male cadets.“A related policy has already been cleared by the Air Headquarters and is expected to be implemented within next few months,” a senior officer said. “We hope the policy comes into effect when the forthcoming induction cycle begins.”This would be a big advantage for cadets aspiring to be Air Force pilots. The IAF has a large number of women pilots who fly transport aircraft and helicopters. On an experimental basis, the IAF inducted three women pilots in the fighter stream this year. The IAF has 1,584 women officers, followed by 1,512 in the Army and 453 in the Navy. Unlike the other two services, the number of women officers joining the IAF has shown a consistent rise over the past three years, with the intake being 144, 155 and 223 for 2013, 2014 and 2015.The IAF’s direct entry scheme allows NCC Air Wing C-Certificate holders, who fulfil the stipulated age and education criteria, to bypass the written entrance examination and appear directly for interview before the Services Selection Board (SSB). The cadets have to apply through their respective air squadrons and the Directorate General, NCC.Apart from basic military and adventure training, the NCC also imparts flying training to cadets and a formal syllabus is prescribed for them. They have to pass written and practical examination to obtain the C-Certificate over a three-year period.The Army and the Navy also have separate entry schemes and reservation of seats in training academies for C-Certificate holders.