IndiaPosted at: Oct 23 2026 6:27PM


‘This is my turn’: The NCC cadet who dared to dream of historic sortie with the Air Chief

Parwinder Sandhu
New Delhi, Oct 23 (UNI) When Jakkula Tejasvi Reddy met the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, during his “At Home” interaction with NCC cadets at the Republic Day Camp (RDC) 2026 in New Delhi, she shared a dream that seemed almost impossible: to fly alongside him one day.
Months later, on October 20, the final-year engineering student from Hyderabad saw that dream take flight, becoming the first NCC cadet in the country to undertake a sortie with a serving Air Chief, aboard a Kiran aircraft at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal.
For Tejasvi, a Senior Wing cadet of the NCC Air Wing, the 35-to-40-minute flight was far more than an extraordinary aviation experience. It was the culmination of a wish voiced during a brief meeting, transformed into a defining moment in her journey towards becoming a fighter pilot.
“I had told him during RDC that my dream was to have a flying sortie with the Chief of the Air Staff. Obviously, that was an impossible dream. But I never thought it would become possible for me in such a short time,” she recalled.
The news came on October 19, a day before the sortie. “I just wished that everything would go well, the weather conditions should be fine, and nothing should get cancelled. I had multiple parameters to pass to get the sortie,” she said, remembering how she prayed during Dussehra that her long-awaited opportunity would not slip away.
At Dundigal, she underwent cockpit familiarisation, safety briefings, ejection-procedure training and medical checks before climbing into the Kiran aircraft. The Air Chief personally explained the aircraft's components, engine functioning, cockpit procedures and safety mechanisms, even double-checking her seating arrangement and oxygen equipment to ensure she was comfortable.
As the aircraft roared down the runway, the magnitude of the moment hit her. Yet, amid the deafening engine noise and the unfamiliar intensity of the experience, one thought kept her focused; this was her moment. “I was like, I need to do it. This is my turn. This is the thing I have to do,” she said.
Once airborne, the experience became a flying lesson under the guidance of the country's senior-most Air Force officer. Tejasvi, who had already undertaken three sorties in NCC microlite aircraft, was given an opportunity to handle the controls partially under his supervision.
“He showed me a cloud and asked me to take the aircraft there. Then he left control to me, not completely, but partially. He asked me to fly,” she recalled, describing the moment as an opportunity to apply her training in real time.
Tejasvi said the Air Chief's encouragement left a lasting impression. He told her that she was not merely lucky but had earned the opportunity through hard work, with the NCC directorate placing its trust in her to represent the organisation.
After landing, when he asked her how the sortie had been, she struggled to find words. “Maybe I don't have any words to tell, because my heart is completely fulfilled with the joy and excitement,” she said, describing the flight as a milestone in her life.
The first member of her family from both her maternal and paternal sides to join the NCC Air Wing, Tejasvi credits the organisation with shaping her ambition to serve in uniform.
“NCC gave me the opportunity to be a second line of defence as a cadet. It groomed me well and gave me the aim of becoming a fighter pilot. I am ready to serve my nation,” she said.
Her journey has already included completing RDC 2026, participating in the Prime Minister's Rally, and representing the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Directorate in the Youth Exchange Programme category.
Her parents -- father employed in a private company and mother a homemaker -- have supported her ambitions and given her the freedom to choose a career in any of the three services.
For Tejasvi, the sortie has not marked the end of a dream but has strengthened her resolve to pursue it. She hopes her journey will inspire fellow cadets to look beyond the uniform's appeal and embrace the commitment that military service demands.
“Serving the nation is not a small thing. Persons who are capable and truly desire to serve the nation must come forward,” she said, expressing hope that India's youth would help build a stronger country under the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.
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