Making India proud, Aarohi Pandit becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in a Light Sport Aircraft

In a moment of pride for nation, Captain Aarohi Pandit, a 23-year old pilot from Mumbai became world's first woman to fly solo across Atlantic Ocean in a light sport aircraft (LSA). A light-sport aircraft (LSA) is a fairly new category of small, lightweight aircraft.

As she landed at Iqaluit Airport in Cana on Monday midnight, after a gruelling 3,000 km long flight, under verse and extreme wear conditions, following take-off from Wick, Scotland (United Kingdom), with brief stopovers in Greenland and Iceland, she achieved her extraordinary feat. She was a part of Women Empower Expedition -  first all-women team to circumnavigate world in LSA.

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Lynn de Souza, he of Social Access, a not-for-profit communications firm which organised and sponsored expedition said: 'En route she set anor world record as first woman pilot to fly solo above treacherous Greenland ice-cap in a LSA, and is due for at least half a dozen or records by time she reaches India."

Pandit, a commercial pilot and LSA licence holder left India on Women Empower (WE) Expedition in tiny aircraft named 'Mahi' along with her friend Keithair Misquitta . 

'Mahi' is a tiny, single-engine Sinus 912 weighing a little of 400 kg or nearly equivalent to a Bullet motorcycle, manufactured by Pipistrel of Slovenia, and is also first LSA registered by Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India.

After landing in Iqaluit, Pandit proudly exhibited Indian Tricolour presented to her by Indian Ambassor to Cana Vikas Swarup.

After a brief sojourn in Cana, WE Expedition will continue with Pandit flying westwards to Russia, cross many a longitudes and hurdles, create or break more records, before she finally returns home by July 30, after clocking in around 37,000 km. 

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Best wishes flowed for her from all corners of country after her achievement, while Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant congratulated her terming it an achievement for Indian women, Shiv Sena leer Priyanka Chaturvedi took to Twitter to express that it a proud moment for country.