How IAF's first Hawai Sepoys came into being: Their story dates back to 1932

When the Indian Air Force was taking shape in the late 1920s, the British administration faced a challenge.While six Indian cadets were to be sent to the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell for pilot training, the new force also needed Indian mechanics to maintain and service its aircraft.According to a historical account shared by the Indian Air Force on X in 2023, training a qualified aircraft mechanic under the prevailing British system took five years.But the new recruits had barely two to three years before the pilots were expected to return. The RAF initially looked to the Ishapore Rifle Factory for trained mechanics and later turned to the Indian Railways.The mechanics were to undergo training at the RAF Aircraft Depot in Karachi, learning how aircraft worked and how to maintain them.