Story 14 - Arya in the Cockpit

Jul 17, 2026

Uploaded by Aurelia

Story 14 follows Arya as she grows up with bigger and braver dreams—first wanting the thrill of a trapeze act, then imagining herself in an astronaut suit, and later choosing aviation role models. Through conversations with family, Arya learns about Kalpana Chawla, Amelia Earhart, and pioneering Indian women pilots who earned the “A” licence and flew before equality in the skies was common. Determined to become a fighter pilot, she trains tirelessly until she finally sits in the cockpit with special passengers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time22 min

AccessFree to download

Story 14: Arya in the Cockpit

Arya’s early dreams

Space pioneers and flight inspiration

Becoming a pilot and entering the cockpit

Story 14: Arya in the Cockpit Author: Nandita Jayaraj Illustrator: Upamanyu Bhattacharyya English Copyright © 2017, Pratham [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)[ ](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)You are free to make commercial use of this work. You may adapt and add to this work. You must keep the copyright and credits for authors, illustrators, etc. Story 14: Arya in the Cockpit English Arya always wanted to ̎y. When she was four years old, she wanted to be Rosamma. Arya saw her at the circus. Rosamma was a trapeze artist. Arya wanted to ̎y in the air from swing to swing. Her clothes would glitter like Rosamma’s. Hundreds of people would clap for her. She would eat cotton candy every day. Her best friend would be a clown. Trapeze artists climb a tall ladder, stand on a narrow board, hold the ̎y bar, and swing! Another trapeze artist is usually waiting to catch them on the other side. When Arya was eight years old she wanted to be Kalpana Chawla. She made herself an orange space suit. She wore it day and night. “Arya, aren’t you feeling hot in that suit?”“Astronauts have to get used to the suit, Amma [mother] . Space is not as safe as Earth is. My suit will protect me.” Kalpana Chawla grew up in Haryana, India. As an astronaut, Kalpana ̎ew around the earth 252 times! Kalpana died doing her job when the spacecraft she was inside broke apart while returning to Earth. When Arya was twelve years old, she wanted to be Amelia Earhart. She built a model plane for her school project. It couldn’t ̎y, but she still got the second prize. Arya even got a haircut like Amelia! Amelia was the ̊rst woman to ̎y across the Atlantic Ocean alone. Amelia’s dream was to ̎y around the world along the equator. She took o̜ on her dream ̎ight but went missing somewhere above the Paci̊c. After learning about Amelia Earhart, Arya heard of Angulia Bai, Kumudammal Thakral, and Sarla Thakral, the ̊rst Indian women to ̎y a plane. Angulia Bai was just sixteen years old! “I can’t wait till I’m a teenager!” “So you can drive?” “No.” “So you can vote?” “No.” “Then what?” “So I can ̎y!” On 30 May, 1935, nineteen-year-old Kummudammal and sixteen year-old Angulia Bai became the ̊rst women to obtain the ‘A’ pilot licence in India. They trained at the Madras Flying Club. When Arya was eighteen years old, she wanted to become a ̊ghter pilot. “Who are they, Arya” asked her little brother Raju, seeing a poster on Arya’s wall. “They are Bhawana, Avani and Mohana, the ̊rst women to ̎y ̊ghter planes in India.” “Are they your friends?” Arya laughed.“Maybe some day they will be my friends, Raju…” Mohana, Bhawana and Avani are ̊ghter pilots. Before them, only men were allowed to become ̊ghter pilots in India. Fighter pilots protect the country’s borders from high up in the air. During disasters like ̎oods and earthquakes, they take part in rescue missions. Arya saved up money to attend ̎ying school. She spent years studying. She sat along with pilots to learn from them. She worked hard and ate a lot of carrots! Mother always said carrots are great for the eyes. Finally, she is ready to sit at the cockpit herself. Today is a special day for Arya. That’s her in the cockpit. She’s very excited because there are two special passengers on her plane this morning.

FAQs

Who inspires Arya’s dreams as she grows up?

Arya is inspired by real aviators and pioneers such as Rosamma the trapeze artist, Kalpana Chawla, Amelia Earhart, and several first Indian women pilots.

What important milestone happened in 1935 in Arya’s story?

On 30 May 1935, Kummudammal and Angulia Bai became the first women in India to obtain the “A” pilot licence.

Why is Arya excited on the day she sits in the cockpit?

She is excited because two special passengers are traveling on her plane that morning.

Jul 17, 2026

Uploaded by Aurelia