Saina flies high in Hyderabad sky

There was palpable excitement among the cadets at the Air Force Academy here on Friday as for the first time, a badminton player was going to fly one of their aircrafts.

The reason for their excitement was more because the badminton player was none other than Hyderabad’s very own badminton star Saina Nehwal.

As a token of appreciation for being one of the few to bring home an Olympic medal, Saina was given the opportunity to fly the ‘Kiran Jet Trainer’ aircraft at the Air Force Academy here on Friday.

She flew the aircraft, under the guidance of group captain Nagesh Kapoor, for about 20 minutes.

 Kiran Jet Trainer aircrafts are used by the Air Force to train rookie pilots.

Dressed in a pilot uniform, Saina looked a tad nervous before boarding the aircraft, but waved at the mediapersons with a broad smile and settled in the cockpit.

 She made a safe landing after 20 minutes and came out of the cockpit with a smile of accomplishment.

 Expressing her joy of flying an aircraft for the first time, she said, “This is such a great honour. As a child, I, like most of my friends, had a dream of joining either the Army or the Air Force, which however did not happen. But, I never thought that I would get such a wonderful opportunity in this form.” Group captain Kapoor had briefed Sania about the innumerable switches in the cockpit and gave her tips how to feel comfortable during the flight.

 However, after the flight, she confessed that she was initially nervous.

 “I was a little worried before taking off. But, once we took off, all my tensions, worries and nervousness vanished into the thin air. It was a wonderful feeling. I loved it when the aircraft went through a cloud. That was the best moment,” she said, adding that she wishes to fly a fighter plane the next time.

She also said that her father Harvir Singh, though happy for her, also wanted to fly an aircraft.

 “It can be my dad the next time,” she said.

 Group captain N Kapoor spoke about her confidence and how he handed the control of the aircraft over to her during the flight.

 “He let me take over the aircraft during the flight, after which it felt like I was playing a video game,” said Saina.

 After the sortie, the badminton star was taken to the sports ground of the academy, where she was the guest of honour for the intersquadron sports champs