Helicopter course: Impressive passing out parade at INS Rajali

A defence release here said six officers of the Indian Navy were awarded the prestigious Wings of Gold by Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh Director General-Project Sea Bird, in the presence of Commodore TV Sunil, Commanding Officer of INS Rajali.

The officers of 91 HCC underwent rigorous flying and ground training for 21 weeks at the Helicopter Training School (HTS), INAS 561.During the course, the trainee pilots were introduced to several nuances of helicopter flying. The pilots underwent a challenging syllabus including Navigation, Night flying and operations over sea.

At the end of the course, the trainees are adjudged for Best in Flying, Best in Ground Subjects and Best in Overall Order of Merit. The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command Rolling Trophy for the trainee pilot standing first in order of merit in Flying was awarded to Lieutenant Devanshu Tyagi.

The Sub Lieutenant Kunte Memorial Book Prize for standing first in order of merit in ground subjects was awarded to Lieutenant Yogi Malhotra.

The Governor of Kerala Rolling Trophy for standing first in overall order of merit was awarded to Lieutenant Yogi Malhotra.

The newly qualified pilots will be appointed in various front-line operational units of the Indian Navy where they will take on various missions such as Search and Rescue (SAR), reconnaissance, surveillance and anti-piracy patrols.

In its rich heritage spanning almost five decades, HTS has so far trained 717 pilots of the Indian Navy, Coast Guard as well as those from friendly foreign nations.