Nepal’s First Woman Helicopter Captain Priya Adhikari Flies Nearly 100 Rescue Missions
Nepal’s First Woman Helicopter Captain Priya Adhikari Flies Nearly 100 Rescue Missions
Kathmandu, Sep 2 : During the period of devastation caused by the catastrophic floods and landslides in Nepal, Captain Priya Adhikari has become one of the most remarkable figures in the large-scale rescue effort, having carried out nearly 100 missions in just six days.
Adhikari, who is Nepal's first woman to become a helicopter captain, has been carrying out operations in some of the most difficult areas along the Nepal-Tibet border that were hit by floods, including the Timure area of Rasuwa district.
Since the roads and bridges had been destroyed and many communities had been isolated, helicopters became essential for getting to the people who were stranded. Adhikari kept on flying into the narrow valleys of the Himalayas, rescue operations in these areas being very difficult because of the unstable weather, landslides, debris and the limited space available for landing.
There were, at various times, allegedly as many as 20 helicopters working within the narrow valley, so the pilots had to keep in constant contact with one another and carefully coordinate their approaches and landings.
Her missions included getting the survivors out of places that were inaccessible and also retrieving the bodies from areas which can no longer be reached by road.
Adhikari's path into aviation is just as inspiring. She obtained a degree in environmental science and started off by working as cabin crew before realising her enthusiasm for helicopters. In order to become a pilot, she went to the Philippines for her flight training and then returned to Nepal.
In 2017 she turned to a career as a full-time helicopter pilot and subsequently gained a reputation as an expert in high-altitude flying in the Himalayas and in search-and-rescue operations.
For many years she has carried out difficult missions concerning injured mountaineers and climbers in the Himalayan areas including around Mount Everest, carrying out rescue operations at altitudes of about 6,200 metres.
She had also taken part in the rescue operations after the devastating earthquake in Nepal, but she has referred to the extent and complexity of the most recent flood disaster as extremely difficult.
The helicopter crews and rescue workers' vital role has once again come under the spotlight because of her nearly 100 missions carried out in less than a week while operating in dangerous conditions to get people who had been left stranded by the floods in Nepal.
Captain Priya Adhikari's case is also being regarded as an inspiring instance of determination — having entered a profession which has traditionally been dominated by men and subsequently becoming Nepal's first woman helicopter captain while carrying out some of the country's most demanding humanitarian rescue missions.
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