She soared to new heights

Seven women paratroopers made history when they took to the skies at the Air Force passing out parade on Friday. The batch of men and women comprising 24 paratroopers was trained by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) under its 14th Basic Airborne Course. They displayed their newly acquired skills at the Katunayake Air Force Base at a ceremony held under the patronage of Air Force Commander Air Marshal Roshan Gunatilake.

Ten SLAF Special Forces personnel, five SLAF Regiment personnel, two Sri Lanka Navy personnel and seven airwomen were awarded their paratroopers wings by the Air Force commander at the ceremony.“This is the first time women have joined our para-training unit. We are pleased with their efforts and we hope to further strengthen this unit,” Air Marshal Gunatilake said.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Wing Commander Andrew Wijesuriya said the passing out of women paratroopers not only marked a first in the history of the Air Force, but also in the history of the country. The ceremonies began with the newly trained paratroopers jumping off an Mi17 chopper from an altitude of 1400 feet. This was followed by an awe-inspiring display by the SLAF skydiving team.

The first air woman to take the plunge was SLC Thushari Hewagamage. It was her seventh jump since she began training in January.“The very first jump was a bit scary, but we were confident and had nothing to worry about as we had been well trained,” she said.

Thushari had joined the Air Force in 2001 amidst strong objection from her family. However her mother S. Nammuniarachchi said although they were concerned about their daughter’s decision at the beginning they are now proud of her decision.“At the beginning we were against her decision and her brother used to call her from Korea trying to dissuade her. But after a while we realised this was her choice and we now support her fully,” she said with a proud smile.

The star of the display was Medical Officer Sampath Hewawasam who was awarded a trophy for being the most talented paratrooper. Presently serving at the medical branch of the Katunayake Airbase, Sampath said he joined the Navy as an officer cadet soon after finishing his advanced level examinations in 1993. He then got into Medical College in 1995 and passed out as a doctor in 2000. He had received special training in aviation medicine in India. After serving as a medical officer in the north east, for some time he joined the Katunayaka Air Force base in 2005.

“I have always liked the idea of parachuting and wanted to try it out. Paratroopers are necessary to the air force, especially for emergency situations, for instance when an army camp is under attack paratroopers could land and provide urgent medical care.Another eyecatching and breathtaking display was the colourful formations by the SLAF skydiving team.

Skydiver Flight Sergeant Samarasinghe said they jumped from an altitude of 6000 feet, from the same Mi17 helicopter used by the paratroopers. Their freefall was accompanied by colourful smoke trails.

“At 4000 feet we did our various formations and then spread out. When we reached the 3000 feet mark we opened our chutes,” he said.