Niloofar Rahmani Explained

Niloofar Rahmani
Birth Place:Logar, Afghanistan
Serviceyears:2012–2018
Branch:Air Force

Niloofar Rahmani (Persian: نیلوفر رحمانی, born early 1990s[1] [2]) is the first female fixed-wing Air Force aviator in Afghanistan's history and the first female pilot in the Afghan Air Force since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.[3] Though her family received death threats, she persevered to complete her training and won the U.S. State Department's International Women of Courage Award in 2015.

Early life

Rahmani was born in Afghanistan in 1992 in a Persian-speaking family. She lived with her family in Pakistan before returning to Kabul in 2001.[4] Since she was a child, she had a dream of becoming a pilot and spent nearly a year studying English to be able to attend flight school.[5] She is of Tajik descent.[6]

Flight career

She enlisted in the Afghan Air Force Officer Training Program in 2010 and in July 2012 graduated as a Second Lieutenant.[7] Throughout the program, Afghan air force doctors attempted to deem her physically unfit to fly; she was the only female candidate in the program. Two female helicopter pilots during the Soviet era, the Nabizada sisters, along with her father, served as inspiration for Rahmani's achievement.[8] [9]

Her first solo flight was in a Cessna 182. Wanting to fly larger aircraft, she went to advanced flight school and was soon flying the C-208 military cargo aircraft.[10] Women are traditionally banned from transporting dead or wounded soldiers; however, Rahmani defied orders when she discovered injured soldiers upon landing in one mission. Flying them to a hospital, she reported her actions to her superiors, who imposed no sanctions.[11]

When her achievements were publicized, Captain Rahmani's family received threats from both family members and the Taliban, which disapproved of her ambition and career choices. The family has had to move several times but Rahmani was resolute and aimed to fly a larger C-130 plane and become a flight instructor to inspire other women. She began training on C-130s with the US Air Force in 2015 and completed the program in December 2016, following which she applied for asylum in the United States.[12] Rahmani hoped to eventually become a military pilot for the United States Air Force.[13] [14]

Asylum

Rahmani, who was represented by International Attorney Kimberley Motley, was granted asylum in the United States in April 2018.[15] She lives in Florida with a sister, who is attempting to gain asylum as well. She works as a translator in Persian, Dari and English languages.

In 2021 she published with Open Skies: My Life as Afghanistan's First Female Pilot her autobiography.[16]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-641-60334-8 Open Skies: My Life as Afghanistan’s First Female Pilot
  2. Niloofar Rahmani. In: Thomas H. Johnson, Ludwig W. Adamec: Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan. Rowman & Littlefield, 2021, ISBN 9781538149294, pp. 416-417
  3. News: The Conversation: Pilots Niloofar Rahmani and Esther Mbabazi . 25 July 2015 . 13 July 2017 . BBC News .
  4. Web site: The "Badass" Afghan Pilot Who Went Massively Viral Is Now Living In Exile. She Just Wants To Be Able To Fly Again.. Rajagopalan. Megha. December 14, 2019. BuzzFeed News. en. 2019-12-15.
  5. News: Jawad. Sayed. First Female Afghan Air Force pilot graduated in 30 years. 15 March 2015. Khaama Press. 16 May 2013.
  6. Book: Rahmani, Niloofar. Open Skies: My Life as Afghanistan's First Female Pilot. Chicago Review Press. July 26, 2021. 9781641603379 .
  7. News: Biographies of 2015 Award Winners. https://web.archive.org/web/20150307040454/http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/programs/iwoc/2015/bio/index.htm. dead. 2015-03-07. 10 March 2015. U.S. State Department. March 2015.
  8. News: MilitaryFirst Afghan female pilot aims to soar. 15 March 2015. newscentral. 10 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402105906/http://newscentral.exsees.com/item/73212e35c38ee0cee04cb2fa4d63e78b-22cb9aafefa0a4b2143638d99f89fd1b. 2 April 2015. dead.
  9. News: Kovach. Gretel C.. Pilot Breaks Gender Barrier. 15 March 2015. U-T SanDiego. March 10, 2015.
  10. News: Lebron. Jennifer. First Afghan Woman Pilot Flies with Blue Angels. 15 March 2015. US Navy. 13 March 2015. Story Number: NNS150313-12. 16 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150316080116/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=86024. dead.
  11. News: Naso. Bridget. Groundbreaking Female Afghan Pilot Inspires in San Diego. 15 March 2015. NBC San Diego. Mar 9, 2015.
  12. News: First Female Pilot in Afghanistan Requests Asylum in U.S.. . December 24, 2016. December 24, 2016 . Now, more than three years after she earned her wings, the 25-year-old Afghan air force pilot hopes to start a new life in the U.S. where she has applied for asylum, saying her life would be in danger if she returns home. . Margherita . Stancati.
  13. News: A Female Afghan Pilot Soars and Gives Up . 23 December 2016 . 13 July 2017 . New York Times . Ernesto Londoño .
  14. News: Duty or Desertion in Afghanistan . 29 December 2016 . 13 July 2017 . Boston Globe . Andrew Watkins .
  15. News: March. Stephanie. Former Afghan Air Force pilot Niloofar Rahmani granted asylum in the United States. 1 May 2018. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 May 2018.
  16. Barbara Spindel: Afghanistan’s first female pilot paid a steep price for the freedom to fly. Christian Science Monitor, 19 August 2021

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