Father-Daughter Duo Script History By Flying Hawk Sortie Together, Netizens Call It A 'Glorious Past Promising Future'

In a first, a father-daughter duo in the Indian Air Force (IAF) has achieved a historical feat by flying in the same formation of Hawk sorties at the Bidar station in Karnataka on May 30.

An image of the duo is doing rounds on social media, which shows Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma posing with his daughter Flying Officer Ananya Sharma in front of Hawk-132.

PRO Defence Gujarat shared the images from their flight and wrote on Twitter, "#fatherdaughter duo created #history on 30 May 2022 Flew in same formation of Hawk-132 at #AirForce Stn Bidar, where Flying Officer Ananya Sharma is undergoing training before graduating onto faster & more superior fighter aircraft of @IAF_MCC."

In another Tweet, they mentioned, "There has not been any previous instance in @IAF_MCC where #fatherdaughter hv been part of same #Fighter formation in a #mission Air Cmde Sanjay & Fg Offr Ananya were more than just father & daughter....they were comrades who had full faith in each other as fellow wingmen would".

Netizens Call It A 'Glorious Past Promising Future'

A Twitter user called the occasion a 'GLORIOUS PAST PROMISING FUTURE'. He replied, "AIR COMMODORE SANJAY SHARMA and his daughter ANANYA SHARMA became the first father-daughter pair in the #IndianAirForce to fly in formation of the Hawk AJT in Bidar."

Another user called the event an 'eye-catching sight'. He wrote, "Feeling so nice to see that , "papa ki pari " flew with proud Dad. And its a "feather in the cap" that both flew togather in Hawk-132 aircraft with formation flight. What a eye catching sight as well as feel good to see that formation. That can happen only in IAF. Hats off".

Another user called Flying Officer Ananya Sharma as the 'role model for daughters'. He commented, "Proud moment for the Father. A role model for Daughter's in a country where people are still aspiring for boys to carry forward the family name".

Know The Father-Daughter Duo

Air Commodore Sanjay Sharma was commissioned in the fighter stream of the IAF in 1989 and had been serving in the stream for over three decades. He has garnered an extensive experience in fighter operations, having commanded a Mig-21 Squadron as well as a frontline fighter station, reported Hindustan Times.

While his daughter Flying Officer Ananya Sharma, was recently commissioned as a fighter pilot in December 2021, five years hence the IAF started accepting women pilots into its fighter squadron. She was selected for training in the IAF after completing her B Tech in Electronics and Communication, reported NDTV.

Sharma is presently undergoing training in Bidar before she graduates onto faster and more superior fighter aircraft of the IAF.

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