Chennai: A total of 54 pilots from the defence forces graduated from the Flying Instructors’ School (FIS) at Air Force Station Tambaram on Saturday. Air Marshal George Thomas, Air Officer Commanding- in-Chief, Western Air Command, was the Reviewing Officer (RO) for the event.The pilots belonged to the No: 161 batch Qualified Flying Instructors’ Course (QFIC). Among those who qualified, 42 were flying instructors from the Indian Air Force, seven from the Indian Navy, three from the Indian Army and two from the Indian Coast Guard. Additionally, three pilots were from friendly foreign countries.The course commenced on Apr 13. The graduation ceremony marked the culmination of 24 weeks of training, including 10 phases of flying training and over 200 hours of ground training. Graduates of the course were awarded the coveted symbol of ‘Qualified Flying Instructor’.The pilots who achieved distinction in flying and ground subjects were awarded the trophies by the RO, who congratulated the graduates and award winners.
