NASA astronaut honors Georgian-Armenian pilot

Nadezhda Benklyan, the first and still the only female pilot in Georgia, has been honored with a US Embassy award "For Female Leadership and Brevity".

In a special ceremony held at the Georgian Aviation University, the 25-year-old ethnic Armenian received the prize from Heide Piper, a NASA astronaut and US Navy Captain from Minnesota, Sputnik Georgia reports.

With just a few months’ career at the Georgian Airways, Benklyan has already demonstrated her ability to be equal to any task, proving that a woman too, can master the skills of the profession to successfully manage an aircraft.  

“It is a big honor for me to receive the prize from such a person. I am really delighted. It is really incredible to see this kind of person admire you,” she is quoted as saying.