It is not every day that the Air Chief flies NCC cadets. On Tuesday, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff, took Senior Wing Cadet Jakkula Tejasvi Reddy, a young woman who hopes to become an aviator, up in a Kiran trainer at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal.

Later that day, he flew his own final sortie in an IAF aircraft, with his first flying instructor in the other seat.

Air Chief flies NCC cadet after a full pre-flight briefing

Her preparation began on the ground. According to the Ministry of Defence, she went through cockpit familiarisation, safety briefings, ejection-procedure familiarisation and medical checks before she was cleared to fly.

The Air Chief then took her through the aircraft himself. Before she climbed in, he briefed her on the Kiran's specifications, its major components, how the engine works, cockpit procedures and the safety mechanisms built into the jet. It is the kind of walk-round an instructor gives a trainee pilot on day one.

Cadet Tejasvi Reddy practised manoeuvres at the controls

Once airborne, he explained flight manoeuvres, flight angles and steep turns.

Then he handed over. The cadet practised manoeuvres herself under his guidance, the ministry said. The sortie gave her practical exposure to aviation and encouraged her to pursue her aim of becoming an aviator.

Dundigal trains the IAF's future officers

Dundigal, near Hyderabad, trains officer cadets for every branch of the Indian Air Force.

Women have flown IAF fighters since 2016

The IAF commissioned its first three women fighter pilots in June 2016, and women today fly in the service's fighter, transport and helicopter streams.

The ministry said a flight in which the Air Chief flies NCC cadets also highlighted the openings for NCC Air Wing cadets to gain experience in aviation and explore careers in the Defence Forces.

The National Cadet Corps has Army, Naval and Air Wings. Senior Wing is its college-level division for women cadets. Air Wing cadets who earn the NCC C certificate can apply for the IAF's flying branch through the NCC Special Entry scheme.

Raised in 1948, the NCC now has more than 20 lakh cadets on its rolls and runs through 19 State Directorates across the country. According to the ministry, the corps keeps widening its training to build skills, confidence and leadership among cadets, in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh hands over on 31 October

Tuesday's two flights closed his flying in IAF aircraft. His final fighter sortie came earlier this month, in an indigenous Tejas at Jodhpur.

He retires on 31 October. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, takes over as the 29th Chief of the Air Staff the same day.