Thirty-five aviators today passed out from the Combat Army Aviation Training School here and will be joining as helicopter pilots.
The aviators earned their 'wings' at a colourful ceremony, which was followed by a breathtaking airshow, and will now be part of the Army Aviation Corps (AAC) as combat pilots.
They were presented aviation 'wings' by Lt Gen B S Sachar, Chief of Staff, Army Training Command, who was the chief guest at the function, Combat Army Aviation Training School (CATS) said in a release here.
During the 18-week course, the officers were put through rigorous training and tested progressively in the flying and aviation subjects, it said.
Captain Kshitijkumar Prakash Gupta was adjudged first in overall order of merit and won the prestigious silver Cheetah Trophy.
A spectacular airshow, involving Cheetah, Chetak and Dhruv helicopters - the mainstays of AAC - was the high point of the event.
The display of aircraft in various operations such as STIE (small team insertion and extrication), slithering and rescue gave a glimpse of the daring and challenging tasks undertaken by the brave aviators of AAC, the release added.
The AAC, which completed 27 glorious years on November 1, is the ultimate force multiplier, a key combat enabler and a vital fighting arm of the Indian Army, it added.
