Interview with Pilot Nicole Malachowski

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Q: You said you were a Thuderbird pilot from which year?

A: I joined the Thunderbirds in November of 2005 and I had my last flight in January 2008.

Q: That’s 2½ years.

A: Yeah, I flew during the 2006 – 2007 show season and I had been in the Air Force since 1996.

Q: Is that an average time frame that most of the pilots last, about 2½ years or so?

It’s actually set in stone because it’s a special duty assignment. It is for the officers on the team, there’s 12 officers, 6 of them are demonstration pilots. It is a 2 year show season assignment. You’ve got a little bit on the front where you’re learning how to fly and a little bit on the back where you have to teach your replacement. So, it ends up being 2½ years.

Now for the enlisted on the team, of which there are about 120, it’s a 4 year assignment. Imagine that lifestyle for 4 years. It’s a huge commitment. And at the end of the day, do not get me wrong, for all 132 people who are on a Thunderbird team at any given time in history, it is adrenaline, it is commitment, it’s an honor, it’s a privilege. Everyone loves it.

And a lot of our brothers and sisters in the Air Force are, at the time you’re on the Thunderbirds, are overseas serving, are putting their lives in harms way. The Thunderbirds are there to represent them. And that means doing it with absolute commitment, dedication, professionalism, integrity. While it is a lot of fun, while it is exciting, it is a huge responsibility and it’s one that every Thunderbird, past, present and future, takes very, very seriously.

Q: Now, when you say demonstration pilot, that’s pretty much just for the air shows. And you do air shows through the whole year?

A: Training season, where you learn how to fly is mid-November to mid-March. And that happens in Nellis Air Force Base at Las Vegas, Nevada. You fly Monday through Friday, 2 sometimes 3 times a day. It’s very physically demanding. Because it’s a 2 year assignment and there are 6 pilots, each year 3 of the pilots are new. So half of the team is experienced and teaching the new ones, and the other half is learning. And it’s just constantly rotates around for that kind of consistency.

Then mid-March to mid-November, which is I guess 8 months, that is the show season, where we travel. A typical week starts on a Thursday. So on Thursday, the Team packs up the jets and their luggage. Half of the enlisted, about 60, will get on the C-17 transport aircraft. They will take off very early in the morning, before the pilots ever do. And they will go on the transport aircraft to the show site. They’ll arrive at the show site and set everything up. We, or the pilots, the demonstration pilots will take off, fly their own airplane, arrive several hours later.

Once the pilots get over there, they head over to the field. The leader will take the pilots through a series of maneuvers, where essentially, you’re checking out the local area. For safety, right? You’re getting your bearings. Where are the tall buildings? Where is there rolling terrain? Where are there power lines or cell phone towers we need to be aware of?

Also, a lot of the maneuvers Thunderbirds fly are based off of visual markings on the ground. So taking a look at “Yeah, I’m going to be taking a left at the blue water tower” or “Hey, if you turn right at the big cropping of trees…” So, obviously, each show site is different. But safety is the most important thing on that Thursday, they’re called Arrival Maneuvers. And the Thunderbirds have always done that, they still do.

On Friday, that was my favorite day. Fridays were my recharge days where I would get my energy, because you get up on Friday mornings and the pilots and the officers will go with the enlisted out to the local community. Often times, meaning the schools, so elementary, junior high, high school talking to kids about, not just careers in the Air Force, but bigger than that.

How do you set dreams? How do you go for your goals? And sometimes you create real lasting relationships. I’m still in a mentoring relationship with about 10 young Americans that I met over that 2 year period. And that’s really special. As a Thunderbird, you have the ability to make an impact on little kids’ lives; that’s powerful stuff. And again, a very huge responsibility.

And then Friday afternoon, we'd come back and then there would be a practice air show. Often times, if it was at an Air Force Base, they would open it up to the base. It was kind of like a private show. Which is a great way to say "thank you" to the air men and families who support us and support the air men so much, so to throw them their own little private air show...while the pilots get some practice.

But also, in a lot of the places, and definitely at the civilian show sites, after we landed or during the practice air show, the Make A Wish Foundation would be out there with the Make a Wish Kids from the local area. And afterwards, we’d go to the tent and we’d sit and talk with them, and take pictures, and sign autographs. And when you see these kids and excitement on their face, and just the pride in a lot of their parents, and it gives you perspective on what’s really important in life. And reminds us about what’s good about America, the family, the support of friends, hard work and perseverance. And that’s where I would recharge my batteries.

And then Saturday and Sunday would be the air shows. And during that time, you would also go man the recruiting booth. So people who were interested in the Air Force, the recruiters would be there, but you would be able to talk to them about whatever. Anything from “What’s it like to fly?” to “I don’t have good grades, what do I do?” I mean, you would be surprised about the things that people would say to you – in a great way - asking or looking for advice, etc.

And then Monday you fly home and start mission planning for the next trip. Thunderbirds do all their own mission planning. So, scheduling the air refueling tanker, scheduling all the navigation, all of that is done by members of the Team.

Tuesday we'd come into work, finish up a lot of the mission planning for the next trip and also we practice. We'd fly once or twice at the home turf.

Wednesday was our only day off. You'd have a lot of laundry to do, you'd have a lot of mail to answer, you'd have a lot of errands to run, and for the people with spouses and kids, that’s the time you need to devote and dedicate to them. And you do that over and over for 2 years for the officers and 4 years for our enlisted. It can be a brutal schedule, but man when you see the honor of representing the Air Force and you can see the impact that you can have on young people, it makes it all worth it.

Q: When you fly in the airshows, do you do different choreography – or do you call it choreography?

A: Maneuvers or show sequence.

Q: Do you change that with every show? Or is it usually the same?

A: It’s usually the same. The Thunderbirds actually have 3 shows and it’s based off of the weather. So if it’s sunny, we have a “high” show; if you have medium clouds, you have what’s called a “low” show; it’s all based on the different altitudes, and I’ll be honest, I can’t remember what they are right now. But if the weather is really bad, really low, you’re looking at a “flat” show. And we’ll adjust the maneuvers. But those 3 shows stay the same, so we could pick from any of those 3 sequences.

Q: I remember reading in all your materials that your call sign is Fifi? Can you tell us what exactly a call sign is and yours came to.

A: Call signs mean 2 things. Every fighter pilot in the Air Force has a call sign. The first means that essentially you get a call sign when your squadron deems that you are part of the fighter community and capable of going to war with them or going into combat. So it’s kind of saying you’ve got the skills now and we will now go to war with you. And you know wars are a very, very serious thing, and to know that– you’re my wing man, I’m your wing man and we’re gonna look out for each other. It’s a compliment to have a call sign.

The second part about a call sign is, no matter what call sign it is and I don’t care who you’re talking to, it is making fun of something you did or something about you. Even somebody like “Killer” or “Maverick” or something like that, it’s something funny.

So Fifi.. Now you got to go back, I was only the second woman pilot they had in the squadron. I was all of 22 years old. So some of the guys said “Oh she’s kinda like this young, little cute girl, but she’s kinda feisty too.” So, it's saying I'm a little person with a lot of attitude.

But I digress for a second, what was really interesting, is that Fifi is the mascot for the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots for World War II. Don’t know if you’re familiar with them.

Q: No

A: Aha! I realized back on the Thunderbird autograph line, these people are like “Wow – women that fly fighters – I don’t get it.” And I’m like “Women have been flying fighters since 1993. I started in 1998.”

At March Air Force Base, it was my very first year, early air show. I landed on the air show and there’s already people in the autograph line and I go over there and there’s these ladies with the blue scarves, older ladies. And I’m like “Oh my gosh, those are WASPs” and I’ve always known about the WASPs. These ladies flew in World War II. The WASPs were America’s first women military aviators, so as I answered these letters and questions from the public, I would educate the people and say “Hey, you know women have been flying military aircraft for the armed services or for our country for 65 years, since World War II.”

And so I was able to change the paradigm in my own mind, as opposed to being initially defensive, I was kind of offensive, with the education. Not only are we flying for the Thunderbirds and not only are my girlfriends flying in Iraq and Afghanistan, but women have been flying military aircraft for 65 years.

Well the WASP have a mascot that was drawn for them by Walt Disney. And it’s a little Tinkerbell fairy with wings, she’s got flying goggles and a scarf and her name is Fifi.

Has nothing to do with the origins of my call sign, but how cool is that? So fast forward I answer some 5,000 letters from America, and I decide to set my sights on the White House Fellowship. As a White House Fellow, I do the same thing – I said I was successful organizing my thoughts on my project on answering these letters which I recieved as a Thunderbird, what am I going to do as a Fellow?

So I decided I was going to get the Congressional Gold Medal for the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots from World War II. So I drafted a bill in my free time and I did a lot of research at the Library of Congress. It took me from September, when I became a Fellow through January. That’s when I started going and knocking on doors on Capitol Hill. A lot of doors shut in my face and eventually a door opened and on July 1st , the president invited me to the oval office and I watched him sign my bill into law. Public law 111-40 and the Women Air Force Service Pilots are going to get the Congressional Gold Medal.

Q: Wow! Congratulations!

A: Fifi got the other Fifi a gold medal! So I would love to educate those on Kids.gov about our WASPs. There are 303 surviving WASPs and there are some here in the local area. They actually flew fighters and bombers in World War II. They didn’t fight in combat, they trained the men to go to combat, they were test pilots, instructor pilots, and they developed tactics that were used in combat. 38 of them died in service to their country. They weren’t given equal pay, equal rank, equal anything.

What was really weird is that when those 38 died, the government wouldn’t pay to ship their bodies back, so the other girls in the class would pull their money to ship the body home. And they were unceremoniously disbanded at the end of the war, and their documents and records were sealed classified secret and put away until 1977.

So when the history of World War II was being written, the WASP story was missing. So they’re akin to the Tuskegee Airmen in a lot of ways. Though I don’t want to take away from the Tuskegee Airmen’s combat accomplishments because the WASPs did not go into combat, but when you look at the parallels and the injustices and the inequities, and what they gave to their country.

They gave a lot for our country and 38 gave their lives. Check out the website www.WingsAcrossAmerica.us. Kids can go to that website and it’s all set up for them to log on and look at oral histories and hear the WASP talk about their service. The director is Nancy Parrish; I’m great friends with her because her and I are the ones that spearheaded the effort on the medal, I had to lean on her for information for my bill. So I digress, but there’s Fifi – a neat connection to the past.

Q: I think one of the things that was most impressive, when you talked on Women’s History Month, is you brought in that binder of all the letters that kids have written to you and you said that you return each and every letter. And I just thought that was the coolest thing. It has a lasting impact on a kid’s life and I thought that was so impressive, especially with you being as busy as you were to take the time to write each and every kid back.

A: Well, a couple of thoughts come to mind when you talk about that is I did not realize that my presence on the team because I was the first woman Thunderbird pilot. I did not realize the impact that would have to people outside of the Air Force. Within the Air Force, people my age have been flying with women, because they’ve been flying with me, so it really wasn’t that big of a deal.

But to the American public, there were a lot of people who did not know the roles that women currently play in our military along side our brothers. And at first I was really kind of shocked and there were times where I was just like “What? I’ve been a fighter pilot for 10 years. I’ve been in combat; this doesn’t make sense that people would be so surprised.”

But then I realized that it wasn’t the right way to look at it. There was an opportunity to educate. And so these letters just started pouring in and I thought “You know, I don’t control my schedule; I don’t control necessarily people’s reaction to me, but what can I do? What can I do to make a difference that I’m doing?” Does that make sense?

At the very beginning, I decided I’m going to answer every single letter or e-mail I ever get. And that went over 5,000 in 2½ years and I am very proud to say that I did answer every single one. When you read each of these letters and each kid is asking about their dream or in a lot of cases, I got a lot of letters from male World War II Veterans. You know, or women who wrote “Hey I’m 60 years old and I finally decided to go to college because you inspired me.” And you’re like “Holy Cow!”

So, it just became this thing. And my husband thought I was nuts, but he was proud of me and supportive for doing it. On Wednesdays, he’d wake me up, he’d put me at the dining room table, he’d pour my coffee and he’d just leave me there with a stack of letters. So I think that’s one of the things I’m most proud of, where I think I had a big impact, was answering these letters. And again I do keep in touch, believe it or not, with dozens of these people.

In fact, I got 2 e-mails today from 2 young kids that I have been a pen pal with. Both young boys actually. One of them had drawn me a picture. It was the F-16, or it was supposed to be an F-16, and it was colored hot pink and it says “I think it’s cool that girls fly.” And that’s what’s neat – it’s that just by existing, by doing nothing by just being me, just existing – not only did it show girls that you can do something unique or different and that you’re capable of it because other people have done it. But just by existing, it starts to change the paradigm of young men. And so now these young men start to see women being capable and respected, and credible in non-traditional roles.

Q: What is the White House Fellowship?

A: The White House Fellowship is the president’s leadership development program. And the idea behind it is that it takes mid-career young Americans from their different communities, very diverse communities, all the way to Washington DC to interact as a group. One, to learn from each other; where else does a fighter pilot hang out with a nuclear physicist, a pediatrician, and lawyers? Where else are they hanging out with a fighter pilot, right?

So you bring these people together. In theory, you are supposed to have shown, or had potential for, leadership within our specific communities in the future. So we come together and we bounce ideas off each other.

And I’ve learned from the Fellowship that there are not two sides to every coin, there are actually 14. So it’s unbelievable; to be able to interact on big policy ideas. We’ll talk about things like the war in Iraq or climate change.

But at the end of the day, the idea is to bring these mid-career young Americans to Washington DC to give them the opportunity to see how the Federal government functions at the very highest level.

We’re seeing how policy is developed. And watching senior leaders in our country make those tough decisions and we look at the challenges that appear in the big, giant Federal government. But also, I think I’ve come away with a very more optimistic outlook, a more positive outlook, on the opportunities that the Federal government can provide to getting the average American citizen’s ideas put into motion.

Just the respect and admiration that I feel for government employees is so at the forefront of my mind now. Just what you guys do – the term bureaucrat used to come with a certain connotation to me, but it doesn’t anymore.

And so I think that as I go back into the Air Force, the leadership lessons that I’ve learned from a lot of the career civil servants, and the leadership lessons that I’ve learned as I’ve seen policy developed, and the leadership lessons that I’ve learned as I’ve seen us execute major projects like the Recovery Act or like being on the Presidential Transition Support Team, these things will stay with me.

Q: And seeing it step by step.

A: Right, it’s going to make me, I hope, a better officer and I will be able to add to our Air Force culture.

Q: How often do all of you sit down together?

A: We sit down probably every other day.

I like to think there are three portions to the program.

The first is the most important: the fellowship itself. Again, where else am I going to have the opportunity to talk to leaders from such diverse and different communities: investment bankers, lawyers, scientists, doctors. You name it, entrepreneurs, and being able to bounce ideas and seeing different perspectives.

The one thing I’ve learned from my other fellows is how to be a better strategic listener. I think that being a fighter pilot, I’m very tactical, so I would listen to you and at the end of every sentence, I’d be thinking something. As opposed to taking in the whole conversation. I am now a better strategic question asker, if that makes sense. But my questions, the way I ask things has really gotten better because of the Fellowship.

The second part is the education program. And that’s where we get together probably every other day. Today, for example, we had lunch – we usually do it during a luncheon at our office, which is right behind the White House with senior national leaders. Again, a diverse mix. Today, it was Lisa Jackson, the administrator at EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency.

Certainly, we’ve been to the White House, we’ve met President Obama, we’ve met with former President Bush, we've been to former vice president Cheney’s house, eating lunch at his dining room table.

It’s very diverse; it’s not just people in politics. We have met Placido Domingo, Dana Goia, who used to be the head of the National Endowment of the Arts. One of my favorite speakers, Dean Kamen, the scientist and inventor of the Segway.

What we’re (the fellows) doing is seeing that there are many, many different ways to serve your country. And that it doesn’t necessarily, for me, mean the military; I’ve been serving since I was 17 years old in the Air Force. You don’t have to be wearing the nation’s uniform to be serving your country and to be contributing to the future vision of America.

And to be able to sit and talk to these people who have ideas. But to ask them questions, you realize – you go in and you think ‘wow’ I’d be really overwhelmed and these people are larger than life. And after meeting them and having open conversation, asking them the tough questions, you do realize that these are just people, too. And you come away very impressed by their commitment, skills and dedication. But you also come away knowing these are just people doing the best they can. If they can do it, so can I.

And when you leave there, you realize, you know, maybe they’re not necessarily larger than life, per se, but what they’re doing is.

The only exception to that rule, the only speaker I met, who I went in just thinking he was larger than life, and after I left, he was still larger than life, was Colin Powell. He’s just transcended us and leadership to a whole different level, in my opinion. I would need several more lunches with him to fully take a dent in what that guy knows.

And then the third part, is job placement. Thanks to places like the General Services Administration and some of the other Federal agencies, we have a place to go sit and see day to day operations, day to day thinking, and get to know people like you.

So the fellowship, the education program and then the job placement. And part of the education program is we travel too. We spent a weekend in Detroit and Chicago, comparing and contrasting education and economic issues. We went to Seattle for a week and looked at environment, energy and medical corridor there; and also did a tasting at Starbuck’s headquarters. And then we also flew an Air Force KC-135 when we went to Seattle. The Air Force volunteered to fly us; so my classmates were exposed to my world. For example, when we go somewhere, we get taken into the Emergency room with the doctors in our group. So everyone shares a little bit; like going to a nuclear power plant with our class nuclear physicist.

And then this Friday, for 2 weeks, we’re going to South America. We’re going to Argentina and Brazil to study energy and environmental policy. It’s the president’s leadership program to bring mid-career young Americans together to discuss important issues and just see the Federal government in action.

Q: You have all these meetings and trips. Do you know that going in? Because I was just thinking you were accepted, then you came and they were like "well this is your plan for the year."

A: No and yes. Actually this has been going on since 1964. And you can go to the White House website, then there’s a section About the White House and then a section on White House Fellows. You can read the whole history and click on our bios. But it’s been going on since Lyndon Johnson’s time. Certainly it’s evolved and been tweaked, but generally speaking, it is “as advertised.”

If you read the internet, you’re like “wow, that’s unbelievable,” I would suggest that the White House Fellowship IS, in fact, that unbelievable. You have to just pinch yourself, when you come out of there and you’re like “wow, I was just talking to General Wesley Clark” or I just sat next to Tom Brokaw. I sat between Tom Daschle and Tom Brokaw at a dinner...where else can you have such an experience and be exposed to such people?

You have to pinch yourself. And it’s not just saying “wow, look at the people I just met,” it’s that you’re having substantive conversations with them. So yeah, I’m really bummed that it’s ending in 4 weeks, August 28th is my last day.

Q: Of everything that you have done and all these accomplishments of being a Fellow and that bill (getting the Fifis the congressional gold medal). Is that would you say your pinnacle of it? Or flying in combat? I’m mean you have so many to go through.

A: It’s hard to choose just one. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel. I really, I do believe owe the Air Force everything. The single greatest decision I ever made was to join the United States Air Force because I joined when I was 17, which was 17 years ago, I’m 34. Everything that’s good and every opportunity that has come my way, from flying air planes, to serving my country during a time of war, to leading peers to combat, to being a Thunderbird, to being a White House Fellow, to meeting my husband who is in the Air Force is because of the Air Force.

Nothing makes me more proud than flying in combat in support of our troops on the ground. I’m proud to be a Fellow, honored to be a Thunderbird. Our team dedicated the Air Force Memorial in 2006. What a privilege! I also worked in the Office of President Elect and on this bill, which is just a HUGE thing. I’d still have to probably give it to the honor and privilege of supporting our troops in combat. And flying and this WASP thing, it’s right up there.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about for kids who want to get into the Air Force or get into being a fighter pilot. The kind of things the need to do, not only just to prepare, but I know there are certain physical regulations you have to meet. Can you tell us about that?

A: I would say to any kid that they absolutely can be fighter pilots, and they absolutely can join our Air Force. And that if you set your mind to something, I truly believe you can do it. I always tell kids to ALWAYS DREAM BIG. You know, don’t sell yourself short.

The most important thing, once you decide what your dream is, THE most important thing and a secret to success, in my opinion, is to always surround yourself with positive people. You must surround yourself with people who believe in your dreams as much as you do. Usually that starts on the home front. You know, the family and guardians that take care of you. Then followed by your teachers and your different friends, your community, church organizations. You MUST surround yourself with positive people. If you can do that, I really think that you can do anything.

Doing well in school is very important. We use a lot of math when we fly, believe it or not, and a lot of physics. So understanding the 3 dimensions, so geometry is something that’s very important to me. Also, just understanding aerodynamics, why our planes fly. The fact is this all goes back to math and science. And so starting at math and science at the earliest age is important.

You need to be a college graduate in order to be an Air Force officer. You must be an Air Force officer before you can be an Air Force fighter pilot. So looking towards college. I went to the United States Air Force Academy. That is definitely one way to go and so it is vital that grades are on the fore front of your mind as soon as you choose this as your dream.

When you go to look at commissioning sources, or to become an officer, or to go to the Air Force Academy, they look for well rounded people. They want people who are good and want to participate in athletics. Not only for the physical fitness portion of it, but also for the team portion of it. Can you be part of a team? Can you play your role? Can you lead a team? Do you get along well with others?

Physical fitness is very important, especially in a fighter environment. In fighter aircraft, we pull G-forces upwards of 9 Gs. So that means I would weigh well over a thousand pounds. That puts a lot of force on your muscles and on your body. It also tries to, if you will, draw the blood out of your brain towards your feet when you pull Gs. And you have to be muscular, especially in your lower body, in order to squeeze those muscles to put that blood back up into the head so that you stay conscious during those maneuvers. And you would need that in combat, in some kind of a dog fight. Good physical fitness and good nutrition are very important, just for being able to do the job physically.

But it’s also very important, something that we prize in the Air Force, to maintain a quality of life: a balanced life, and stress relief. It’s good for your mental health to be physically fit and to work out. In the Air Force we have something called Fit to Fight and physical fitness is a huge part, very important for our Chief of Staff and to the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.

Also, there are different height requirements. I am not a flight surgeon, so I don’t want to give those numbers out without knowing. I do know that the minimum height for ejection seat fighter aircraft is 5’4”; I am 5’4”. There are waivers available, but an Air Force flight surgeon can get those answers to you far better than I can.

Q: Do you have to have 20/20 vision?

A: Yes, they prefer good vision. Again, nowadays, there are waivers available. For someone who does not have perfect vision, I can’t foot stomp this enough, DO NOT have any kind of eye surgery without contacting an Air Force flight surgeon. There are different kinds and it varies by person and by case. And so a lot of people say “Well I’m going to get some kinds of corrective eye surgery in high school so that I can have 20/20 and the Air Force will take me.” NO – don’t do it. Contact an Air Force flight surgeon at your local Air Force base and let them get you the true and correct answer.

I’m 20/15 in both of my eyes; I was just blessed with good eye sight. But there are people who do wear contacts that fly fighters. You just need to do it under the supervision and guidance of an Air Force flight surgeon.

Q: Your reflexes have to be so good to be able to fly a plane. Do you have exercise or training that they put you through to improve that? Or is it a natural, inborn thing that you kind of have to have already?

A: Well, I am a firm believer that anybody can fly an airplane. So I don’t know if there needs to be some natural reflex or some inordinate level of coordination that’s required because that’s what your instructors are for.

You know the Air Force can teach anyone, whose heart and commitment and dedication is in the right place, how to fly an airplane. So one of the things they do to improve the skills before you get in an airplane is they put you into the different simulators.

Essentially, when you get to pilot training, they will put you through a lot of academic training, one. So understanding why the planes fly, understanding how to make it do what you want to do is the first step, having the academic foundation. The science behind it, the process behind it; and then they build on that by putting you in the simulator, where you’re allowed to try things out, repeat things over and over, in hopes of improving that kind of coordination and also the ability to make mistakes and learn from them.

And the once you receive a certain level of proficiency on those simulators, then they’ll take you up in those aircraft. And you’ll be with an instructor for a while, until you’re good and then once you are safe and confident, they’ll let you go on your own.

Q: Were you scared on your very first flight? Were you really nervous?

A: I started flying when I was 12.

So, I’ve been flying for 22 years. I guess just 13 of that in the Air Force. So I think when I was just so young, I just was excited and I just wanted to go do it. I’ve always been, I hate to use the term, self confident, I think maybe more self-aware. I think “I know I can do this” and I’m a positive inner monologue person for sure. I am an eternal optimist, I always have been. There's no reason to be afraid of flying, it's just fun to do.

Q: What was the tightest spot you ever found yourself in when you were in combat? When were you the most in danger?

I have over 2100 hours in Air Force aircraft with close to 2000 in fighter aircraft. Of that, about 190 of them are combat hours.

I don’t think that when you are in combat and when you are in an intense situation, that you think much about your own safety, per se, as much as you do as the people on the ground that you’re trying to help. The safety of your formation, the safety of the innocent people on the ground. So I think that the risk that you accept as a fighter pilot happens so instantaneously when you’re in that intense situation, it’s second nature.

So when you go into a combat situation as a fighter pilot, I feel that it is a lot like a professional athlete "getting in the zone," or a boxer going into the ring.

My country and my Air Force have invested a lot of belief and faith, a lot of training, the best training in the world, in all of us to go into combat and to make the right decisions. You know, to make the right decisions on a tactical level, to manage the risk involved to all at that instant moment. And so when you go into combat, you’re ready. You really are. And that’s a good thing. Because you want that ability to make dynamic decisions, to manage risk instantaneously, to be decisive, to be second nature.

And by the time we train people and they get their call signs, and they can go into combat, that skill set should be there. Certainly, there is experience you get with time, there’s experience you get with the number of sorties, there’s experiences that people younger than me have that I don’t have because I wasn’t there at that moment. Unique learning experiences, and everybody brings that to the squadron and to the whole team. We share stories and you can learn from each other.

Q: So when you were growing up, you always knew (that you wanted to fly). Because after high school, you said you went to the Air Force Academy. Was that a big goal when you were younger?

A: I was 5 years old when my family went to an air show and I saw the people in uniforms and I saw this F-4 fighter jet go by, and it was loud and it was fast and you would hear it, see it, smell it, feel it, it would like rumble your chest. And I was like “I gotta do that!”

And I remember looking at my dad, I really do, and I was 5 years old saying “I’m gonna be a fighter pilot.” This was 1979. You know it wouldn’t be until 1993 that women could actually fly fighter aircraft. I didn’t know that at the time, nor did I care.

And so my dad looked at me and said “You’re gonna be a great fighter pilot.” Had my family not said that and done that at the time, I would not be sitting here today with all these amazing stories. To include the Fellowship, because let’s be honest, I wouldn’t have gotten the Fellowship if I wasn’t a Thunderbird; I wouldn’t have been a Thunderbird if I wasn’t a fighter pilot, and it all goes back again.

So I set my goals on that. I remember my parents, when I was 12, bringing me here to Washington DC and taking me to the Air and Space Museum. That’s when I first learned about the WASPs. There’s a little section in there and I was like “Wow – these women were flying fighters and bombers back in the ‘40s – so I’m good to go!” And I got to stand by Amelia Earhart’s Vega. I got to see pictures of Sally Ride and Patty Wagstaff the great air show aviatrix and a friend of mine now. You get to stand by her aircraft.

It kept me motivated. My parents were the most positive people who believed in my dream too. And I joined organizations like the Civil Air Patrol. The Civil Air Patrol is an auxiliary of the United States Air Force; you can join them at 12. It’s air and space oriented; you get little uniforms, you learn to march, you learn respect for the flag, you learn the science behind flying. That’s where I first learned why airplanes fly. Prior to my math skills catching up with me in high school, I was learning that kind of stuff.

Civil Air Patrol also afforded me a scholarship to pay for flying lessons. So that flying was paid for by the Civil Air Patrol. Speaking of positive people and seeking out and being around other kids who have the same dream helps keep you focused.

When I went to high school, I joined Junior ROTC; continued flying in high school, soloed my first plane when I was 16 in high school, and ended up going to the Air Force Academy. So it’s been very one-track minded. I’ve been, in a lot of ways, probably maniacally focused, but it worked out for me because I was focused and I was committed to it, because I didn’t let other people bring me down.

But you also have to keep yourself in check. You know by the time you’re in junior high, you know when kids aren’t the right influence or when you’re doing the wrong thing. So it’s making that decision to stand out on your own and to stand up for what’s right. That’s tough. It’s tough when you’re a kid and, frankly, it’s tough when you’re an adult still at times. It can be lonely to do that. We’re social beings and it’s hard to make that decision, that’s the right decision, even if it does cause you a little bit of lonliness.

Q: Well, what’s the next step now that the Fellowship is ending? Do you know?

A: Ah, it’s such a bummer it’s ending. I’m going to miss the Fellowship, I’m really going to miss GSA (General Services Administration), I’m going to miss everybody and all of the things that I’ve learned, but there’s a part of me that just aches to wear my uniform. My heart aches and I want to wear my uniform again. So, I’m excited.

Starting October 1st, I’m putting my uniform back on, I’ll be at SAF/IA (Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs) – it’s Air Force International Affairs in their weapons shop.

I will do that until June of next year (2010) and then I’m slated next summer to return to fly my very first plane, which was the F-15 E Strike Eagle. So I flew the F-15 E Strike Eagle in 3 operational fighter squadrons before I became a Thunderbird. With the Thunderbirds, I flew an F-16, a very different aircraft.

Q: Well, is there anything you wanna leave kids to know in general. What would be your top 3 things to tell them, advice-wise.

A: Always dream big. Always surround yourself with positive people and be self-accountable. Hold yourself accountable. Mistakes are OK as long as you hold yourself accountable and you move forward.

Q: And learn from them

A: So always keep moving forward. Yeah, learn from your mistakes, keep moving forward. That’s the only way you’re going to accomplish anything.