First Afghan female pilot makes it to the skies

Lt. Nilofor Rhmani is now the first female pilot in the Afghanistan air force to fly solo under the air force’s pilot training program, the first in the country in more than 30 years. (Photo courtesy Air Force Times)

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By Al Arabiya

An Afghan woman made it to the skies, as a pilot, on solo for the first time within the framework of a joint project between NATO and the Afghan Ministry of Defense that offered pilot training program at Afghanistan’s Shinhad Air Base, a report by the Air Force Times said.

Lt. Nilofor Rhmani is now the first female pilot in the Afghanistan air force to fly solo under the air force’s pilot training program, the first in the country in more than 30 years.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Afghanistan country director Jeremy Ponn was quoted as saying that Lt. Rhmani has “graduated introductory flight training on July 19 and began the formal undergraduate pilot training program July 28.”

The report described this recent achievement as “trying to even out the odds” against that of the Taliban instigating brutal treatments against women.

Maj. Ponn added that Lt. Rhmani is seen by the Afghan public “as a role model for Afghan females.”

Lt. Rhmani has been training under the supervision of U.S. and NATO mentors for the past months.

She is also one of the five pilots in their class and has received awards for her achievements. Maj. Ponn added that the class is still set to undergo additional training prior to receiving their wings. The class is said to graduate next summer.