Harita Kaur Deol was born on 10th November 1971, in Chandigarh, to a Sikh family. Her father, Colonel Deol, was serving in the Indian Army. Little is known about the early life of this officer who made history by becoming the first woman pilot in the IAF to fly solo.
Till 1992, the IAF did not give its women pilots the capacity to fly solo. The gender- friendly equation we see now in the defence forces is a relatively recent scenario; earlier, the defence forces majorly consisted of male officers. In 1992 though, the Ministry of Defence made a revolutionary change in its policies as it allowed women to be inducted as pilots.
The IAF advertised eight vacancies for the same in 1992. Over 20,000 female applicants from all over the country applied with enthusiasm. Out of these, 500 qualified the entrance examination. Eventually, only 13 candidates were found worthy of induction after a grueling process of exams, interviews, and medical tests. Harita Deol was one of them. These women were to be inducted into the transport fleet of the IAF.
Harita Deol was thus inducted as a short service commission (SSC) officer in the IAF in 1993. She, along with the other female cadets, were given initial training at Air Force Academy, Dundigal (Karnataka). They went on to receive further training at Air Lift Forces Training Establishment (ALFTE) at Yelahanka Air Force Station.
Post her training, Flight Lieutenant Harita Kaur Deol became the first ever woman pilot to fly solo. On 2nd September 1994, the young officer flew alone in an Avro HS-748. She was only 22 years of age! The courageous young girl was airborne for about half an hour on her first flight, as she expertly maneuvered her plane. She was being closely monitored at the ATC, but she gave her colleagues and seniors no reason to worry. She confidently zipped through, as if writing history for all women in the skies.
Air Commodore P R Kumar, Air-Officer-in Command at Air Lift Forces Training Establishment (ALFTE), was responsible for the solo check of her flight. He was thoroughly impressed with her performance and could not stop praising her:
“She was confident and in full control of the aircraft. Her take-off and landing were excellent. The standard she demonstrated was much more than my expectation. Girls are much clearer in their expression.”
When she stepped off the aircraft, she was greeted with thunderous applause, hugs, and congratulatory wishes. To the standing media who eagerly waited on her, she said:
“… I am happy I was the first to do a solo and that I lived up to the expectations of my instructor… I will speak to my parents first, and may be celebrate today’s success with my friends over the week-end.”
What she achieved, was no tiny feat. She had accomplished something never seen before and never thought before. With this solo flight, she had proved to the IAF and the rest of the world, that women could do anything if given a fair chance.
Unfortunately, the phenomenal officer met a tragic end only two years later, in 1966. 24 air personnel, including Harita were on a sortie from Chennai to Hyderabad on 24th December 1996. Flight Lieutenant Harita was flying the HS- 748 Avro aircraft as a co- pilot. The aircraft faced technical glitches along with wing fatigue enroute. Near Bukkapuram village in Andhra Pradesh, this aircraft crashed and exploded. In this crash, the personnel on board lost their lives. The nation and the IAF had to suffer this huge loss in the form of this gallant officer, whose sacrifice on duty shall never be forgotten.
She may be no more amongst us, but her story shall inspire all women across the nation forever. She was the first to touch the skies independently, and that shall teach us all that truly, “the sky is the limit”.
