16 Navy officers complete helicopter course at INS Rajali

As many as 16 Navy officers successfully completed a training course on flying-aviation at the Indian Naval Air Squadron 561, Helicopter Training School-INS Rajali near here and they were inducted as pilots on Thursday.

As many as 16 Navy officers successfully completed a training course on flying-aviation at the Indian Naval Air Squadron 561, Helicopter Training School-INS Rajali near here and they were inducted as pilots on Thursday. Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command reviewed the passing out parade of the 'Helicopter Conversion Course (HCC),' and awarded the coveted 'Golden Wings' to the newly inducted pilots at INS Rajali. The course is the 100th HCC and it includes four officers who underwent the first ever Basic Helicopter Conversion Course (BHCC) (Stage 1 training), conducted by the Navy. It was previously conducted entirely by the Airforce, a Defence release said. Addressing the graduating 100th HCC batch, the Commander in Chief said pilots, while displaying courage should also bear in mind safety aspects especially while operating from small decks at sea. With the induction of newer aircraft in the coming years, the young pilots would witness 'most interesting times' and get to fly even more challenging missions. He congratulated the Naval air-arm for taking complete ownership of the basic helicopter training and expressed confidence in its success and rapid growth in the coming years.

This being the centennial HCC, Admiral KB Singh (Retd), former Chief of Naval Staff and other veterans from as early as 1st HCC as well as parents of graduating pilots also witnessed the parade. INS Rajali is located at Arakkonam, about 80 km from here.

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