Gauri Chhabra
Today, we stand on a curious cusp – a cusp of tradition and modernity, a cusp oftimeless ethos and cutting edge technology. Can you dream of a career that will help you fly on the wings of fancy with your feet firmly rooted on the ground? One such option is the Indian Air Force – a career that helps you strategize, lead and manage.
Getting in:
Indian Air Force (IAF) is one of the Primary force of Indian Armed Forces of the Republic of India.
There are two types of commission available in IAF, such as Permanent Commission and Short Service Commission. Permanent Commission means a career in the Air Force till you retire. Permanent Commission Officers continue to serve till the age of superannuation.
Short Service Commission (SSC) – means a limited period career in the Air Force. The officer cadre of the Air force provide opportunities for women. But they will be appointed only on ‘Short Service Commission’ i.e for a term of 10 years which you can extend up to 10 more years depending on your conduct or retire at the age of 40 whichever comes first.
Physical Standards:
Physical fitness is one of the most important prerequisites for joining the Air Force. Irrespective of the branch you are applying for, you must fulfill some basic physical standards. General physical requirements common for all candidates. You must be in good physical and mental health and free from any disease, which is likely to interfere with efficient performance of duties. There should be no evidence of weak constitution, bodily defects or overweight. The height and weight standards for men and women differ. There should be no disease of bones and joints of the body.
Career Pathways:
You can join the Air Force as an Officer in either one of the three branches, the Flying, Technical or the Ground branch. The officer cadre provides opportunities for men with 10+2 /Intermediate (only in the flying branch), graduates (all three branches), engineers (all three branches) and postgraduates – all branches except the Flying branch. Women who are graduates, engineers and post graduates can join as an Officer in the Air force. Candidates short-listed after the initial selection procedure, go through a rigorous training regimen at one of the Air Force training establishments.
The Flying branch includes Fighter pilots who fly combat or fighter planes carrying ammunition and missiles; Transport pilots who fly planes which carry men and materials, and Helicopter pilots who provide air support to a moving army, or are used for para-dropping men and supplies. This branch also includes navigators who fly along with the pilot and guide the aircraft by using the latest avionic equipment.
Ground duty branch:
As a part of the Ground Duty Branch, you would be responsible for steering the Indian Air Force. In case you are a graduate or a Post Graduate, you would be managing human and material resources.The Ground Duties Branch includes all the departments that provide logistical, meteorological, educational and administrative support to the flying and technical branches. This includes the Air Traffic Control Officer who provides control and advisory services to enable the pilot to conduct flights in total safety. The Fighter Controller monitors the skies for any potential threat and selects the appropriate air defense system using modern electronic equipment to intercept these threats. The logistics Officer is responsible for provisioning the aircraft with spares, fuel, armaments and so on, while the meteorological branch officers are engaged in conducting scientific research on the prevailing weather and atmospheric conditions. There are also other branches such as administration, education and accounts.
General Eligibility Criteria:
To be eligible for ground duty branches, you need to have a graduation degree in any discipline with a minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together or a Post – Graduation degree or equivalent diploma in any discipline with a minimum 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together. The age limit is 20 to 23 Years for graduates and 20 to 25 years for post graduates -upper age limit relaxed upto 26 years for Law Graduates (3 Years course), upto 27 years for CA / ICWA / M Ed / Ph D. In case you are below the age of 25 years, you must be unmarried. It is open to both men and women of Indian Nationality.
As a graduate/ post graduate you can join as an officer in any of the following Ground Duty Branches.
Administration:
In case you join the administration, you will be responsible for the efficient management of both human and material resources. Some of the officers of the Administration Branch are selected and trained to carry out the duties of Air Traffic Controller that involves maintaining an orderly flow of traffic and airspace management and Fighter Controller that Involves close contact and supervision between the air and radar for effective airspace management.
Accounts:
To get into Accounts branch, you need to have a graduate degree in Commerce (B Com) with a minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together or Post Graduate Degree in Commerce (M. Com) / CA / ICWA with a minimum 50% marks in aggregate. You would be responsible for efficient financial management of funds.You will also act as internal auditor to ensure a zero-defect audit from outside agencies.
Logistics:
In logistics too, you will need to be hold a graduation degree in any discipline with a minimum 60% marks in aggregate in all papers put together or a Post- Graduation Degree/ equivalent diploma in any discipline with a minimum 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together. You would be responsible for materials management of all Air Force resources. You would ensure efficient supervision of inventories, and involve in procurement processes of various ranges of equipment.
Education:
To get into the Education sector, you need to have aPost Graduate Degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate.
Meteorology:
You need to have a Post Graduate Degree in any Science Stream / Mathematics / Statistics / Geography / Computer Applications / Environmental Science / Applied Physics / Oceanography / Agricultural Meteorology / Ecology & Environment / Geo- physics / Environmental Biology. You should have scored a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate in all papers put together and should have studied Maths & Physics in Graduation with minimum of 55% marks in both subjects.
As a Meteorology Branch Officer you would be involved in handling the latest satellite imagery and state-of-the-art monitoring equipment, you would render specific advice to the operators on all aspects of weather.
Technical Branch:
As an officer in the Technical Branch, you propel your team to ensure that the Indian Air Force remains airworthy. You would be incharge of some of the most sophisticated equipment in the world by joining one of the sub branches based on your qualification.The technical branch consists of all the engineering sections which are responsible for the engineering equipment and weapons systems of the air force.
Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics):
The general eligibility applicable for men and women is 18 to 28 years. You should be an Indian and in case you are below the age of 25 years, you should be unmarried. As far as educational qualifications are concerned, you would be eligible if you have either of the options- a four year degree qualification from a recognised University or cleared Section A and B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers (India) , or cleared Section A and B examination of Aeronautical Society of India. All the candidates should have studied the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers.In the electronics department, you would handle the electronic and communication equipment in aircraft.
Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical):
To be eligible, you need to have either a four year degree qualification from a recognized university or cleared Section A and B examination of Associate Membership of Institution of Engineers or cleared section A and B examination of Aeronautical Society of India. You must have scored a minimum of 60% marks in aggregate in all the papers put together in any one of the qualifications listed. Final year students are eligible to apply provided they do not have any present backlog at the time of SSB testing and you can produce provisional issued by the University.Aeronautical engineers in the mechanical department ensure the proper maintenance of all aircrafts.
Therefore, if you wish to imbibe a regime for life that exudes quality along with service to the nation as extended family, gear yourself up for a flying career with your feet on the ground.
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