![]() ![]() With my background in the F-16 and the number of flying hours that I had, flying the F-35 came naturally. Only a handful of women - less than 20 - have been commissioned as fighter pilots so far after the government launched a scheme for their induction into the IAF’s combat stream in 2015, a. “My initial thought once I took off of the ground was, in one word, “WHOA.” The biggest transition that I am still getting used to in the jet is how smart the F-35 is-Its ability to engage and disseminate the information that it’s gathering and then display it back to the pilot – it takes a lot of focus and multitasking ability. ![]() Once Balzhiser passed her check ride, she was cleared for take-off. Yet not all airlines are created equal, and some U.S. All the academics and simulation training eventually culminated into a check ride in the simulator from a squadron evaluation pilot. While just over 5 of global pilots are female, that number is even lower, 4.4, in the U.S. ISLAMABAD: The nation remembered countrys first female fighter jet pilot Marium Mukhtiar, who sacrificed her life in the line of duty and embraced martyrdom, on her fourth. The training consisted of rigorous amounts of academics for each system on the F-35 and 12 simulator scenarios.īalzhiser and her classmates not only had to demonstrate their ability to identify and respond to any kind of situation requiring emergency procedures, but also how to handle all the sensor capabilities in the F-35. In preparation for her first flight, Balzhiser spent the six-weeks prior with the 56th Training Squadron and 61st Fighter Squadron as part of a Senior Officer Course. One of the biggest differences between learning to fly the F-35 and F-16 is that a pilot’s first flight in the F-35 is truly solo. “If you can imagine every emotion that you can think of happening in one location-nervousness when stepping out to the jet, to the pure excitement of being strapped into one of the most powerful fighter jets in the world, to scared of messing up, to a huge adrenaline rush-it was just all encompassed in my one little glass cockpit.” “It was amazing and a bit surreal,” she said. While it would take until 1993 for the United States to have its first female fighter pilot, the Soviet Union had many women flying combat missions during its Great Patriotic War (World War II. “Many people don’t realize that females are doing this in the industry-we’re doing it out in the operational world of the fighter communities.” A Flight to Remember ![]() It just expects you to perform the way you need to,” said Balzhiser. “The jet really doesn’t know if a pilot is male or female-it doesn’t. Christine Mau, the very first woman to ever fly the F-35 once said, “flying is the ultimate equalizer.” While the number of female F-35 pilots in the community is steadily growing, there is still the misconception that flying fighters is not accessible to women in the industry. Kristin “Mother” Hubbard, flying as her wingman. Balzhiser took her very first flight in the F-35 at Luke Air Force with her mentor and F-35 flight instructor, Lt. ![]()
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