She is the first civilian woman chopper pilot from Andhra Pradesh. She is also the only Indian civilian woman to be trained and work as a chopper pilot in the US. While it takes only two licenses to be eligible to get hired as a pilot, she has obtained five licenses.
Meet this 30-YO commercial helicopter pilot and an instructor, Kriti Garuda. She defies the famous phrase, “What’s in a name”! Her surname, i.e., ‘Garuda‘, is described as the king of the birds and a kite-like figure. It was perhaps destined for Kriti to fly like a queen.
Contrary to what one would expect from a woman with such accolades oozing excitement, Kriti is calm and poised.
“To be a helicopter pilot, eligibility demands mental placidity and agility simultaneously. You are with a machine, flying it all alone up in the air. And the weather there is unpredictable and can turn hostile anytime. One tiniest mistake can put an abrupt end to your life. I have cultivated this calmness as a hands-on experience,” says Kriti while talking to LifeBeyondNumbers.
As she is the only child, it wasn’t easy for Kriti to convince her parents. Her father is a doctor, and her mother is a psychologist. They were particular that Kriti must complete her education. Thus, she obtained a formal engineering degree from BITS Pilani, Goa. Much to her unwillingness, she picked up a job. However, during those two years, the thought of becoming a pilot never left her. She took a break and started traveling and researching ways to turn her dream into a reality.
Recollecting her journey from conceiving it to inching close, Kriti says:
“I always aspired to become a pilot. However, I didn’t realize it could be a possibility for a civilian without choosing commercial airlines as a career. Moreover, as a civilian becoming a helicopter pilot in India is challenging, as there is no school to train. After thorough research, I discovered that I can pursue it on the civil side, especially in Canada, the USA, and South Africa. In 2017, I found a company in Hawaii, and the next thing, I was there.“
The company has three bases on three different islands. It’s a school and conducts tours and, at times, charters and some other operations. Kriti went to get helicopter pilot training and completed the course within 12 months. With her extraordinary performance, she was hired as an instructor and worked for a year. She was then promoted to Assistant Chief Pilot, and for the past two years, Kriti has been working as the Chief Pilot.
When a dream meets reality, a lot of pre-conceived ideas collide. How was it for her?
“I moved and lived there all alone. There were no co-Indians. It was a litmus test of my mental strength. There was no room for failure, especially after emotionally blackmailing my parents; I chose to succeed in this alien world,” chuckles Kriti.
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She further adds it wasn’t easy on her.
“In the beginning, it was just as a student, followed by the transition as an instructor within a year, and eventually becoming the chief of operations; it kept getting harder.“
Sharing the skills required for an efficient pilot, Kriti shares some tips. Flying isn’t merely about using one’s brains. It demands the pilot to feel the helicopter’s anatomy and mood. The better one understands what this mean-machine is doing, the more ahead she/he is of it, and the wiser decisions one can take while flying it.
Her challenges included racist and sexist remarks. Being an Indian, she faced situations where she was sneered at by co-students. She was even ridiculed for linguistic accents; Kriti braved it all.
“I never changed my accent, neither my appearance. Likewise, flying a chopper is an out-and-out male-dominated domain wherever you are in the world. You need to be resistant to that testosterone supremacy and resilient to sexist comments as a woman. I believe if I keep proving myself with my actions and merit, it will speak for me. And it did.”
From the time of her training as a pilot to her gradual career progress, Kriti has had many memorable moments. During her assignment as a tour pilot, she found handling the tourists by keeping them pacified amidst unpredictable and offensive weather is not easy peasy. Kriti’s eyes twinkle when she recollects how she flew a helicopter bought by her boss, but there were issues transporting it due to the Christmas season. Kriti flew it from Florida to LA for 5-6 days along with her co-student. Another unforgettable event was when she had an epic flight over active lava at night. She counts it as the most incredible experience.
Her first experience of learning Auto Rotation is etched in her memory. It taught Kriti how the pilot must pay attention to every detail, including aligning the fuel setting with the altitude.
Also, read: This 24-YO Tea Seller’s Daughter Earns The Indian Air Force Wings Despite The Odds
Another challenging skill is hovering in a helicopter. Kriti has mastered it now and shares her expert tips.
“It is really tough, especially for a beginner. It is counterproductive; the less you do, the better it is. The more one moves, the more squirrelly the helicopter behaves.“
Currently, she is on a break and working toward upskilling herself.
“I am planning to fly on the Nepal Himalayan range and add to my flying experience. Meanwhile, the bigger picture is to get into helicopter utility work, and it is one of the most challenging sectors. It’s flying by carrying the load that may comprise recusing goods, water for firefighting, or conservation work. To summarize, I want to continue as a helicopter pilot supporting environmental conservation.“