{{Short description|First female Afghan Air Force pilot}} {{Infobox military person | name = Niloofar Rahmani | image = Niloofar Rahmani.jpg | alt = | caption = Rahmani in 2013 | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1992}} | birth_place = Logar, Afghanistan | death_date = | death_place = | other_names = | service_years = 2012–2018 | allegiance = {{flag|Islamic Republic of Afghanistan|name=Afghanistan}} | branch = Afghan Air Force | notable_works = }}
'''Niloofar Rahmani''' ({{langx|prs|نیلوفر رحمانی}}, born early 1990s<ref>[https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-641-60334-8 ''Open Skies: My Life as Afghanistan’s First Female Pilot'']. Publishers Weekly Newsletter, Juli 2021</ref><ref name=":0"/><ref>''Niloofar Rahmani''. In: Thomas H. Johnson, Ludwig W. Adamec: ''Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2021, ISBN 9781538149294, pp. 416-417</ref>) is the first female fixed-wing Air Force aviator in Afghanistan's history and the first female pilot in the Afghan Air Force since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02wyft8 | title = The Conversation: Pilots Niloofar Rahmani and Esther Mbabazi | date= 25 July 2015 | access-date = 13 July 2017 | work = BBC News }}</ref> Though her family received death threats, she persevered to complete her training and won the U.S. State Department's International Women of Courage Award in 2015.<ref name="Women of Courage (2015)" />
==Early life== [[File:130514-F-ZE564-001 (8770933734).jpg|thumb|2nd Lt. Niloofar Rahmani stands alongside the other four graduates of undergraduate pilot training just prior to receiving their pilot wings at a ceremony on 14 May 2013 at Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan.]] Rahmani was born in Afghanistan in 1992 in a Persian-speaking family. She lived with her family in Pakistan before returning to Kabul in 2001.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/the-badass-afghan-pilot-who-went-massively-viral-is-now|title=The "Badass" Afghan Pilot Who Went Massively Viral Is Now Living In Exile. She Just Wants To Be Able To Fly Again.|last=Rajagopalan|first=Megha|date=December 14, 2019|website=BuzzFeed News|language=en|access-date=2019-12-15}}</ref> Since she was a child, she had a dream of becoming a pilot and spent nearly a year studying English to be able to attend flight school.<ref name="Jawad (2013)">{{cite news|last1=Jawad|first1=Sayed|title=First Female Afghan Air Force pilot graduated in 30 years|url=http://www.khaama.com/first-female-afghan-air-force-pilot-graduated-in-30-years-1453|access-date=15 March 2015|publisher=Khaama Press|date=16 May 2013}}</ref> She is of Tajik descent.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oQT3DwAAQBAJ&dq=niloofar+rahmani+%22tajik%22&pg=PT117|first=Niloofar|last=Rahmani|authorlink=|title=Open Skies: My Life as Afghanistan's First Female Pilot|pages= |publisher=Chicago Review Press|date=July 26, 2021|isbn=9781641603379 }}</ref>
== Flight career == thumb|2nd Lt. Niloofar Rahmani in 2013 She enlisted in the Afghan Air Force Officer Training Program in 2010 and in July 2012 graduated as a Second Lieutenant.<ref name="Women of Courage (2015)">{{cite news|title=Biographies of 2015 Award Winners|url=https://www.state.gov/s/gwi/programs/iwoc/2015/bio/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307040454/http://www.state.gov/s/gwi/programs/iwoc/2015/bio/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-03-07|access-date=10 March 2015|publisher=U.S. State Department|date=March 2015}}</ref> Throughout the program, Afghan air force doctors attempted to deem her physically unfit to fly; she was the only female candidate in the program.<ref name=":0" /> Two female helicopter pilots during the Soviet era, the Nabizada sisters, along with her father, served as inspiration for Rahmani's achievement.<ref name="newscentral">{{cite news|title=MilitaryFirst Afghan female pilot aims to soar|url=http://newscentral.exsees.com/item/73212e35c38ee0cee04cb2fa4d63e78b-22cb9aafefa0a4b2143638d99f89fd1b|access-date=15 March 2015|publisher=newscentral|date=10 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402105906/http://newscentral.exsees.com/item/73212e35c38ee0cee04cb2fa4d63e78b-22cb9aafefa0a4b2143638d99f89fd1b|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Kovach (2015)">{{cite news|last1=Kovach|first1=Gretel C.|title=Pilot Breaks Gender Barrier|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/mar/10/tp-pilot-breaks-gender-barrier/|access-date=15 March 2015|publisher=U-T SanDiego|date=March 10, 2015}}</ref>
Her first solo flight was in a Cessna 182. Wanting to fly larger aircraft, she went to advanced flight school and was soon flying the C-208 military cargo aircraft.<ref name="Lebron (2015)">{{cite news|last1=Lebron|first1=Jennifer|title=First Afghan Woman Pilot Flies with Blue Angels|url=http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=86024|access-date=15 March 2015|publisher=US Navy|date=13 March 2015|ref=Story Number: NNS150313-12|archive-date=16 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316080116/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=86024|url-status=dead}}</ref> Women are traditionally banned from transporting dead or wounded soldiers; however, Rahmani defied orders when she discovered injured soldiers upon landing in one mission. Flying them to a hospital, she reported her actions to her superiors, who imposed no sanctions.<ref name="Naso (2015)">{{cite news|last1=Naso|first1=Bridget|title=Groundbreaking Female Afghan Pilot Inspires in San Diego|url=http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Groundbreaking-Female-Afghan-Pilot-Inspires-in-San-Diego-295700951.html|access-date=15 March 2015|publisher=NBC San Diego|date=Mar 9, 2015}}</ref>
When her achievements were publicized, Captain Rahmani's family received threats from both family members and the Taliban, which disapproved of her ambition and career choices. The family has had to move several times<ref name="Women of Courage (2015)" /> but Rahmani was resolute and aimed to fly a larger C-130 plane and become a flight instructor to inspire other women.<ref name="Kovach (2015)" /> She began training on C-130s with the US Air Force in 2015 and completed the program in December 2016, following which she applied for asylum in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/celebrated-afghan-woman-pilot-requests-asylum-in-u-s-1482555662|title=First Female Pilot in Afghanistan Requests Asylum in U.S.|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=December 24, 2016|access-date=December 24, 2016 |quote=Now, more than three years after she earned her wings, the 25-year-old Afghan air force pilot hopes to start a new life in the U.S. where she has applied for asylum, saying her life would be in danger if she returns home. |first=Margherita |last=Stancati}}</ref> Rahmani hoped to eventually become a military pilot for the United States Air Force.<ref name="usaf">{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/opinion/a-female-afghan-pilot-soars-and-gives-up.html | title = A Female Afghan Pilot Soars and Gives Up | date= 23 December 2016 | access-date = 13 July 2017 | newspaper = New York Times | author = Ernesto Londoño }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/12/29/duty-desertion-afghanistan/McEKj4yQNmLcJ9GkpW6IcM/story.html | title = Duty or Desertion in Afghanistan | date= 29 December 2016 | access-date = 13 July 2017 | newspaper = Boston Globe | author = Andrew Watkins }}</ref>
== Asylum == Rahmani, who was represented by International Attorney Kimberley Motley, was granted asylum in the United States in April 2018.<ref>{{cite news|last1=March|first1=Stephanie|title=Former Afghan Air Force pilot Niloofar Rahmani granted asylum in the United States|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-01/afghan-air-force-pilot-niloofar-rahmani-granted-asylum-in-us/9713680|access-date=1 May 2018|work=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=1 May 2018}}</ref> She lives in Florida with a sister, who is attempting to gain asylum as well. She works as a translator in Persian, Dari and English languages.<ref name=":0" />
In 2021 she published with ''Open Skies: My Life as Afghanistan's First Female Pilot'' her autobiography.<ref>Barbara Spindel: [https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2021/0819/Afghanistan-s-first-female-pilot-paid-a-steep-price-for-the-freedom-to-fly ''Afghanistan’s first female pilot paid a steep price for the freedom to fly'']. Christian Science Monitor, 19 August 2021</ref>
==See also== *Afghan Air Force *Bibi Ayesha *Latifa Nabizada *Khatool Mohammadzai *Women's rights in Afghanistan
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== External links == {{commons category}} *[https://www.niloofarrahmani.com/ official website] * {{YouTube|meBhryut6jI|Afghanistan's first female military pilot given asylum in US}}, May 9, 2018, Fox News. * {{YouTube|pEZM3WPVQyE|La prima pilota afgana chiede asilo agli Usa: temo per la vita}}, December 28, 2016, askanews. * {{YouTube|v-u0ZVRiGbY|Niloofar Rahmani, primera piloto militar afgana: de heroína a traidora}}, December 27, 2016, euronews (en español). * {{YouTube|RdjOIOiQowM|Niloofar, première femme pilote en Afghanistan}}, April 29, 2015, Agence France-Presse (AFP). * {{YouTube|nAaoDJvkShc|Niloofar Rahmani: First Female Pilot in Afghanistan}}, May 8, 2015, TOLOnews. * {{YouTube|Cdb1PXtS2es|First female Afghan pilot visits San Diego}}, March 10, 2015, ABC 10 News. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151122192559/https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/women-make-change/2015/11/meet-afghanistan-female-fixed-wing-pilot-151106124527043.html Meet Afghanistan's first female fixed-wing pilot (archived)]. Al Jazeera English, 9 November 2015. * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02xbfmq "We were wrong …and now we're proud of you"]. The Conversation, BBC 17 July 2015 (audio, 2 mins). * [https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-friday-edition-1.3183186/death-threats-force-afghanistan-s-first-female-air-force-pilot-to-quit-1.3183197 Death threats force Afghanistan's first female Air Force pilot to quit]. As It Happens, CBC radio, 8 August 2015 (audio, 6:47 mins). {{International Women of Courage Awards}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahmani, Niloofar}} Category:Living people Category:Afghan aviators Category:Afghan female military personnel Category:21st-century Afghan women Category:21st-century Afghan military personnel Category:Women aviators Category:Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award Category:Interpreters Category:Persian–English translators Category:English–Persian translators Category:Women in 21st-century warfare Category:21st-century American translators Category:Afghan emigrants to the United States Category:Afghan Tajik people Category:1992 births Category:People from Logar Province