Shital Mahajan (Rane)
PADMASHRI Awardee 2011          

Phoenix Adventure Sports Academy is founded in 2011 by Shital Mahajan (Rane) Academy started working in 2012.

Aim
To become a reputed, professional skydiving school in India and thereby be instrumental in bringing this sport to its full glory in India & the World at large.

Education:

• Graduated in Bachelor of Science (Zoology) with a first class degree from Fergusson College, Pune University, India.
• Two years’ Advance Diploma in Multimedia (Graphic Designing & Animation) completed from Arena Multimedia Pune, India.
• Performed Basic skydiving course with Indian Air Force in December 2007.
• Have performed 250 Basic Parachute jumps training & Six hours of Vertical Wind Tunnel training at skydive Arizona in USA, in 2008, organized & sponsored by the Government of Maharashtra.
• Total jumps till 1st January 2018 are 702; most of them are from above 13500ft, few of them from 18,000ft with oxygen & from 7 different types of aircrafts.
• Received United States Parachuting Association’s ‘A, B, C& D’ parachuting license & Coach Ratings.

Awards :

State -

• On 19 February 2006, Shital Mahajan has received Shiv Chatrapati Maharashtra State Sports Special Award 2004 - 2005 by Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri. Vilasrao Deshmukh.

National -

• On 24 March 2011, Shital Mahajan has received Indias fourth highest civilian Award PADMA SHRI by Honorable President of India Pratibhatai Patil.
• On 29 August 2006, Shital Mahajan has received Tensing Norgay National Adventure Award by the Honorable President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

International -

Shital Mahajan has received The Federation of Aeronautics International's Sabiha Gökçen Medal in 2018 October for the completion of skydiving over all 7 continents. She is the first Indian woman ever has received this award.

The FAI Sabiha Gökçen Medal

The Sabiha Gökcen Medal was created in 2002, upon a proposal from Turk Hava Kurumu, and is supplied by the Turkish NAC. Sabiha Gökcen, the winner of the FAI Gold Air Medal, was Turkey's first woman pilot and in 1937 became the world's first female military pilot. She was an inspiration to women pilots.

The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI - The World Air Sports Federation, was founded in 1905. It is a non-governmental and non-profit-making international organization with the basic aim of furthering aeronautical and astronautical activities worldwide, ratifying world and continental records, and coordinating the organization of international competitions. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Achievements - 17 National and 6 World Records

World Records -

• First woman in the World to perform First Parachute jump of life without any practice over Geographic North Pole Arctic Circle in a freezing temperature of minus 37 Degree Celsius from a height of 2400 feet from a Mi 8 Helicopter on 18th April 2004.
• First woman in the World to perform First Accelerated Free Fall Parachute Jump of life over the White Continent of Antarctica South Pole in a freezing temperature of minus 38 Degree Celsius from a height of 11600 feet from a Twin Otter aircraft on 15th December 2006.
• Worlds Only Woman who has executed Parachute jumps without any training over both the Poles of the Earth North Pole Arctic and White Continent of Antarctica South Pole without any practice.
• Shital Mahajan was the team leader of the First Team ever to perform an Accelerated Free Fall Parachute Jump over the White Continent of Antarctica South Pole in a freezing temperature minus 38 Degree Celsius from a height of 11600 feet from a Twin Otter aircraft on 15th December 2006.
• The largest group skydiving 89 Indian civilians performed Tandem skydiving in a single day over the foreign land at Empuriabrava Spain. Shital was an organizer of this feat.
• Worlds Only Woman who has performed skydiving over both the Poles of the Earth, North Pole and Antarctica, South Pole and over  7 Continents 1. Antarctica, 2. Australia, 3. Asia, 4. Africa, 5. Europe, 6. North America, 7. South America, on 22 February 2017.

National Records -

• First Indian woman to perform first or maiden parachute jump of her life without any practice over Geographic North Pole.
• First Indian woman to perform First Accelerated Free Fall Parachute Jump of her life over the White Continent of Antarctica South Pole.
• First Indian woman who has executed Parachute jumps without any training over both the Poles of the Earth North Pole - Arctic and White Continent of Antarctica South Pole.
• Youngest Indian to skydive on both poles without any practice. However, earlier all who skydived on North and South Pole Shital was youngest among all of them. Those skydivers were highly experienced in skydiving sport. Shital was a novice when she performed parachute jumps on both poles.
• First Team ever to perform Accelerated Free Fall Parachute Jump over the White Continent of Antarctica - the South Pole successfully in a freezing temperature minus 38ºC from a height of 11,600 feet from a Twin Otter aircraft on 15th Dec 2006.
• First Indian wedding carried out in the air at 600 feet high in a hot air balloon on 19th April 2008.
• First Indian Civilian woman to perform Wing Suit Jump on 19th September 2010 from 13000ft in Spain.
• First Indian Civilian Woman to do a parachute jump from Hot Air Balloon from the highest altitude of 5800 ft in at Skydive Arizona on 23 rd October 2011. All Indian woman who has done a parachute jump from hot air balloon they have performed it below 5500ft.
• First Indian civilian skydiving couple, Vaibhav Rane and Shital Mahajan, both holding skydiving licenses, from United States Parachuting Association.
• First Indian Civilian Woman Skydiving Coach.
• First Indian woman to participate in 75-way skydiving formation in the air at 12000 ft in the USA at Skydive Perris from 6 to 9 September 2012.
• First Indian to Skydive with Birthday Greeting Card. Shital have had wished Maharashtra's one well-known Member of Parliament on his birthday on 12-12-13 with a skydiving greeting card from 11,000 ft. This was a first of its kind birthday wish has done in India in the air.
• Largest group skydiving - 89 Indian civilians performed Tandem skydiving in a single day over the foreign land, At Empuriabrava- Spain on 25 August 2014. Shital was an organizer of this feat.
• The highest number of simultaneous Tandem skydiving 35 done in one hour by the largest group of Indians over the foreign land at Empuriabrava- Spain on 25 August 2014. Shital was an organizer of that feat.
• First Indian Woman to Skydive on 7 Continents 1. Antarctica, 2. Australia, 3. Asia, 4. Africa, 5. Europe, 6. North America, 7. South America, on 22 February 2017 Shital has completed skydiving over  7 Continents. It took 10 Years 2 months 6 days to complete this feat.
• First Indian civilian Woman to perform a maximum number of Parachute Jumps Until 1 January 2021 Shital has performed 740 Parachute jumps.
• First Indian Civilian Woman to perform HALO jump High Altitude Low Opening skydiving jump from 30,500 Ft AGL on 20 May 2017 at California USA.
• First Indian Woman to perform parachute jump wearing Indian woman Traditional Dress SARRI, from 13,000 ft on 12 February 2018 at Pattaya, Thailand.
• First Indian Woman ever in history to Receive Federation Aeronautics Internationals, Sabiha Gokcen Medal in October 2018.