Description
Arpinder Kaur, the first Sikh Female Pilot to fly a Commercial Airline, was born in India. She had her
early education in the Country of her birth, but she was only 15 year old, when she shifted along with her
family to U.S.A. Although, she had a desire to fly a plane from her very young age, it was during her first
flight from India to U.S.A., when she got opportunity to sit in the Cockpit. The Pilot was kind enough to
allow her to sit and observe for an hour. That moment, she became determined to achieve her mission
of flying a plane one day. She did four year degree in Information Systems and when selected for Pilot’s
training, she had to undergo a hard training from 2003 to 2005. The persons who kept on inspiring her to go
ahead with her mission included her husband, S. Pritpal Singh, Capt. Kulbir Singh Sandhu, who mentored
her through her aviation career and her trainer Jesse Sherwood in Cansas. When qualified to become a pilot,
the issue regarding her turban (Keski) was raised. It was with the help of Sikh Organisations that the issue
was sorted out and she was permitted to make her Turban a part of Uniform. In March 2008, when she
was 28 years old, she was officially hired by American Airlines Corporation as a First Officer. She started
flying Embraer Jets after finishing her Pilot Training Programme in June 2008. S. Harinder Singh Executive
Diretor of the Sikh Research Institute (Sikh RI) in San Antonio, Texas said, “This is a great day for the Sikhs
in America. Religious acommodation, not assimilation, is what the founders of this great nation envisioned
and we are thrilled American Airline celebrates the rich religious and cultural diversity of all American
populations”. Arpinder was happy to become the first turbaned women Sikh Pilot for a major U.S. Airline.
She said “that by doing so she has set a precedent for the community so they know you can be in your Sikh
appearance and do anything out there; so that my younger brothers and sisters (the rising generation) will
pursue their passions while practicing their Sikh faith”. Since then she has been a role model to inspire all
the youngsters, particularly the Sikh boys and girls to have faith in their religion and go ahead with whatever
they want to do. In one of her motivational speeches, last year in a Gurdwara, she said, “By being internally
strong and developing a relationship with the Guru and through Waheguru’s grace, there will be nothing
in the World that will take you away from your journey”. Such are the words of a role model like Arpinder..
