The First Woman Thunderbirds Pilot - Episode 51

April 7, 202543m 57s

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Show Notes

Retired F-15 and F-16 fighter pilot Nicole Malachowski tells us about flying 18 inches off the wings of high-speed jets as a U.S. Air Force Thunderbird.

Welcome to Season 6 of the Behind the Wings podcast! In this episode, Nicole takes us through her groundbreaking journey as the first woman to become a Thunderbird pilot. She discusses her combat missions, flying in airshows, her WASP connection, and how a tick-borne illness changed her life forever. There is a lot to learn!

Resources:

Chapters:

(00:00) - Intro

(01:23) - F-15 vs. F-16

(02:22) - Early Interest in Aviation

(03:26) - USAFA

(04:42) - The Ban on Women In Combat Jets

(06:38) - Flying the F-15 and F-16

(09:06) - Combat Missions

(13:50) - Thunderbirds Admission

(17:58) - Thunderbirds Training

(21:33) - Combat vs. Thunderbirds

(24:02) - Audience Interaction

(27:34) - Tick-Borne Illness

(32:57) - The Wounded Warrior Program

(34:12) - WASP Connection

(36:55) - The Future of Veteran Medicine

(39:21) - Nicole's Legacy

(40:42) - Nicole's Advice

(41:45) - Outro

Topics

aviationmuseumpilotthunderbirdsaerospacejetpodcastcombatairshowwasp

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