Fifty-nine pilots from the Indian Air Force, Navy, Army, Coast Guard, and friendly foreign countries graduated as Qualified Flying Instructors (QFIs) from the Flying Instructors School (FIS) at IAF Station Tambaram. The officers completed the 159th Qualified Flying Instructorsā Course (QFIC), a rigorous 22-week program comprising ten phases of flying training and over 200 hours of ground instruction.The valedictory ceremony was held at FIS with Air Marshal Tejbir Singh, Senior Air Staff Officer, Headquarters Training Command, as the chief guest. Graduates were awarded the symbol of āQualified Flying Instructor,ā recognizing their professional competence. Special trophies were presented to officers excelling in various categories, including Sqn Ldr Karan Pal Singh (Overall Order of Merit), Sqn Ldr Bharatsree V (Best in Fixed Wing Flying), Sqn Ldr Malcolm Elias Dias (Best in Rotary Wing Flying), and others for aerobatics, instructional technique, and ground subjects.
FIS, with over 75 years of experience, is a premier institution for training QFIs capable of conducting ab-initio flying instruction and grooming trainees for evolving operational requirements. Beyond training, the School plays a vital role in peacetime tasks, including Search and Rescue (SAR) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, and has a history of training professional pilots from friendly foreign nations.