Britain gets its first Sikh fighter pilot since World War II
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Britain gets its first Sikh fighter pilot since World War II")
Flight Lieutenant Arshdeep Singh Dang made history on August 14, when he received his fighter pilot wings from the British Royal Air Force Photograph: (Others)
Flight Lieutenant Arshdeep Singh Dang has become the first Sikh in Britain’s Royal Air Force to earn his fighter wings in the country’s post-war era. The RAF announced this historic feat during a ceremony on August 14, during a ceremony at RAF valley in North Wales
Born in Chandigarh, Flight Lieutenant Arshdeep Singh Dang made history on August 14, when he received his fighter pilot wings from the British Royal Air Force. Flight Lieutenant Arshdeep Singh Dang has become the first Sikh in Britain’s Royal Air Force to earn his fighter wings in the country’s post-war era. 28-year-old Dang joined the RAF in 2021. He passed his wings test in July, four years after graduating from Officer training in 2022 and undergoing rigorous Fast Jet training. Dang is the only Indian-origin pilot from his batch, and now the first Sikh fighter pilot for British Air Force in 81 years. Dang’s family moved to the UK when he was just 6 years old.
Speaking to WION over the phone, Arshdeep talked about the reasons and circumstances in his life, that helped him chart this journey to a fighter pilot. “Growing up in UK in the early 2000s, I saw little Sikh representation around me, especially in important positions. I want to see the identity and the voices of the community strengthen. Sikhs have been an important part of Britain’s military history; I want to keep that tradition alive and inspire others too.”
But the journey has not been an easy one for the 28-year-old. Arshdeep graduated as a mathematics and philosophy graduate from the University of Bristol, but his family has undergone years of financial struggle. The young fighter pilot says his mother’s journey in overcoming challenges while raising him, played a key role in inspiring him. “I wanted to do this for my mother, who has faced unsurmountable odds, but still raised me to be grounded and rooted in Sikh values.”
Long-standing contribution of Sikhs in RAF
Arshdeep Singh Dang’s feat marks a long history of Sikhs achieving military heights in UK. Hardit Singh Malik was the very first Indian-origin pilot in Britain, during World War I. Known as the Flying Sikh of Biggin Hill, Malik was born in Punjab in 1894, but his family sent him to England at the age of 14.
Malik was given an ‘honorary’ commission as a second Lieutenant, after a recommendation from his tutor at Oxford. For his flying missions, he had a special helmet made to fit over his turban. During World War II, Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji volunteered with the British Royal Air Force and emerged as a distinguished fighter pilot. Pujji is also remembered for breaking stereotypes, and refusing to fly the Hurricanes fighter aircraft without wearing his turban.
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