Shivangi Singh, India's first woman Rafale pilot, overcame stereotypes with determination and dreams of becoming an astronaut as she continues breaking barriers in aviation.
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00:00In a quiet corner of New Delhi, a little girl once stood in awe at an Air Force Museum.
00:11That girl is now flying one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world.
00:19Meet Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, the first and only Indian woman to fly the Rafale.
00:27This is the place where my journey started. As you can see the aircraft around, these were my inspiration.
00:34My grandfather used to get me over here to look at these aircraft and seeing these vintage aircraft.
00:39It just filled me with that exhilaration and that passion to be in that cockpit and fly.
00:44That is how my journey started.
00:47She grew up in Varanasi, inspired by her grandfather and guided by her mother's belief that education is important,
00:54but independence is everything.
00:57My mother was a great source of inspiration who wanted me to be independent as well as educated.
01:03From there, she had backed me up. Initially, I joined Airwing NCC. I flew micro lights.
01:09That ingrained in me that I want to fly and there is no other profession as of now for me.
01:15Shivangi trained hard in classrooms, on fields and finally in the cockpit.
01:22From her first nervous flight in a MiG-21 to the powerful roar of a Rafale jet, she proved that courage knows no gender.
01:35The first time that I sat in the cockpit, you feel that nervousness, the anxiety when you are in that new environment.
01:41However, over a period of time, you get trained to be able to control that aircraft to its limits.
01:47So the first time when you go solo is that first time you feel that zeal that nobody else is there to land it.
01:54And that is what we have been told that if you get airborne, you have to land.
01:58Increasing number of these women in our society is not only an indication of a modernization,
02:03but also that we can do whatever we want to if we set our minds.
02:08Today, she represents a changing India, modern, strong and full of possibility.
02:17I want to be an astronaut. So let's hope that I complete my training and get on that.
02:23Your training right now?
02:25Yeah, basically, so to be one of the astronauts, we have to be a test pilot.
02:32So right now I am going for one of my courses, but surely soon if I am qualified enough, I will be doing that.
02:40And tomorrow, she dreams of space, aiming to become an astronaut.
02:45Because for Shivangi, the sky is not the limit.