Sony Rana

Captain Sony Rana
सोनी राणा
Rana at Tribhuvan International Airport (2016)
Born	(1965-10-17) 17 October 1965 (age 59) Kathmandu, Nepal
Nationality	Nepalese
Other names	Sonee Rana
Occupation	Pilot
Years active	1991–present
Employer	Nepal Airlines
Known for	Nepal's first woman pilot (1991)
Spouse	Bijay Giri
Children	1
Parents	Om Narsingha Rana (father) Kanchan Rana (mother)
Awards	Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu (Fourth Class)
Website	Official website

Sony Rana (Nepali: सोनी राणा or Sonee Rana) (born 17 October 1965) is Nepal's first woman pilot.^[1][2] She obtained her aviation license from Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal on 29 March 1991 under license number 119.^[3] She is also the first Nepali female pilot of the Boeing jet.^[4]

Early life and education

Rana was born on 17 October 1965 (2022 BS) on the day of Laxmi Puja to father Om Narsingha Rana and mother Kanchan Rana in Thamel, Kathmandu. She completed her SLC-level education from Mahendra Bhawan School and received her Certificate degree and Diploma from Padma Kanya Multiple Campus.^[5] She then went to the United States in 1987 to obtain training in aviation.

Aviation career

She registered with CAAN on 20 March 1991 (26 Kartik 2047 BS). After two years of the completion of her pilot training, she started working in the-then Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC). RNAC had opened a vacancy for three pilots and 10 pilots had applied. She and Rakshya Rana were the only two female applicants. Among the 10, Sony Rana was selected and then she started working for RNAC, becoming the first commercial Nepali female pilot.^[6] She started as a Trainee Co-Pilot on 12 November 1990, became a Junior Co-pilot on 31 March 1991 and became a Senior Co-Pilot on 14 July 1992.

She received her Boeing license on 23 November 2005 from Civil Aviation Department of CAAN and started working as B 757 Co-Pilot since 23 December 2005.

Award

Rana was awarded with Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu (Fourth Class) in 1993.^[6]

Personal life

She married Bijay Giri, a fellow pilot in 2055 BS (1998-1999), after seven years of acquittance. Giri died on a plane crash in Surkhet on 17 July 2002 (1 Shrawan 2059). She has one daughter.^[3] Her younger brother Ashish Narasingh Rana is also a pilot. She currently lives in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu.

Contest over the 'First Nepali woman pilot' title

Although Rana received her license on 29 March 1991, Rakshya Rana is popularly known as the first Nepali woman pilot. Rakshya Rana received her license on 20 May 1992. According to the Pilot Safety Department Head of CAAN, Raju Shrestha, Sony Rana is the first female Nepali pilot with a Nepali aviation license.^[7] The CAAN also published a statement on 22 May 2016 declaring Sony Rana as the first Nepali woman pilot to hold the Nepalese civilian license.^[8]

References

1. "यी १० महिला : जो नेपालको इतिहासमा नै पहिलो बने !". Samachar Dainik (in Nepali). Retrieved 2022-06-09.
2. "हिमाल खबरपत्रिका | 'लीडर' महिला". nepalihimal.com. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
3. "आकाशमा महिला". आकाशमा महिला. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
4. "The wonderful women and their flying machines- Nepali Times". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
5. "Kantipur-सोनीको आकाश यात्रा - कान्तिपुर समाचार". ekantipur.com. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
6. "चंगा उडाउने रहरले पहिलो महिला क्याप्टेन बनीन् सोनी राणा". Mulkhabar. 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
7. "जहाँ उडान परीहरु दिनहुुँ बढ्दैछन्". Jana Aastha News Online. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
8. "Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal's Statement letter". 2016-05-26.