“I was in a motorsports club but I had to leave the club because of some reason. I was the only girl in the club with twenty-four boys. Now, you can imagine the level of biasness I had to face. I was doing an internship in Bangalore. I visited HAL Museum there. The museum had many planes showcased. An idea popped up in my mind that I can make an in-scale model and participate in such events. I had an idea about such events because they were held in the motorsports club too. We had to design, fabricate, and make a whole car. Similarly, we had to make airplanes and fly them in the event.
My love for planes, aircraft, and especially drones is because of my interest in the aerodynamics. I researched about it, studied the process, precautions, know-hows, and everything in detail. But in this time of advanced technology, we not only have airplanes that can fly in the air, but we also have drones that are smaller and easier to handle as compared to a plane. When I started my research, drones grabbed my attention, and eventually, my interest was dragged them.
I’m pursuing B.tech (Mechanical) from Graphic Era (Deemed to be) University. I was so excited to create my drone one day. I started working on my project in January but due to the imposition of lockdown, the spare parts took about four months to get delivered. As soon as my things arrived, I resumed my work. Finally, in September, I made my first drone with a help of an alum of our college, Ujjwal Kumar. He’s my mentor and inspiration because of whom I was able to complete this project. He taught pretty much everything, from the basic structure of a drone to how to fly and handle it. He encouraged me that if I try, I can fly drones and nourish my skills and that I can be a good pilot.
As soon as I entered this field of FPV drones, I could feel myself. FPV drones have changed my life in the past months and still, it’s a very long way to go. This is a vast field where people recognize you with the wonders you do in the air. I also got a chance to meet and greet some of the best pilots from India and other countries. Though my parents always told me it’s not a field for girls and that I’ll have to face discrimination, I stood my ground. My parents want me to join the army because they think I’ll not face discrimination there. The only thing I tell them is discrimination is everywhere since society hasn’t still started accepting a successful girl.
Until this day, I’ve never felt discouraged or had any hard time because of my mentor who always motivated me and supported me. As mentioned before, now that I can call myself an FPV Pilot, I want to be a commercial pilot in the future. Since my parents want me to join the army, I’m preparing for it now but I know that the day is not far when I’ll finally have my license to fly an aircraft.
I want to request parents to promote their daughters who have an interest in such fields. Please don’t try to mold their thoughts as per your expectations. Let them live a life they’ve dreamt of. Also, I’d like to ask all the girls out there to never stop and chase their dreams. Stay firm and stand on your ground. Be passionate and learn to achieve your goals.”
Instagram- @uncertain_fpv
*The views expressed in the above article are of the writer and not Winged Club.