Oamaru, New Zealand – Sneha Baskaran has made history by becoming New Zealand’s first international student to win the prestigious Morane Saulnier Rallye Trophy at the annual rally of the New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation. This demanding competition tests pilots’ abilities in a simulated forced landing from 2,500 feet, requiring participants to touch down on a designated grid with a powered-down engine. Sneha was the only competitor to achieve this feat.

• Sneha Baskaran, a trainee pilot from Chennai, India, won the Morane Saulnier Rallye Trophy in New Zealand.
• The competition challenges pilots in precision and emergency skills by simulating a forced landing with a powered-down engine.
• Sneha is a trainee pilot at the New Zealand Airline Academy (NZAA) in Oamaru, where she earned her commercial pilot licence in August 2023.
• Sneha plans to return to India to convert her New Zealand commercial licence to an Indian one and pursue a career with an Indian airline.

Statements:

• “I am grateful to have been included in the competition, they didn’t just see me as an international student.” – Sneha Baskaran.
• “It feels special to win a competition going back to 1963, and to see my name engraved on the trophy alongside all the winners from New Zealand.” – Sneha Baskaran.
• According to New Zealand Airline Academy Chief Executive Officer and Director, Jonathan Manuel, at least 33 percent of its trainee pilots are women: “This is primarily because of the care we provide at the academy, having a dedicated girl’s wing as part of our hostel offering.”

About New Zealand Airline Academy (NZAA)
The New Zealand Airline Academy, based in Oamaru, New Zealand, provides flight training for international students. 

Source: Education New Zealand
Photo Credit: New Zealand Airline Academy (shown as meta image)