Friday, June 17, 2005 | 11:13 a.m.
A Western High School graduate will become the first female fighter pilot ever to fly with the Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team when the 2006 air show season kicks off next year, Air Force officials announced Thursday.
Capt. Nicole Malachowski, 30, will take the number three right wing position on the team, which is assigned to Nellis Air Force Base.
Malachowski's proud parents, Robert and Cathy Ellingwood, are Las Vegas residents.
Their daughter, who is currently assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England, and who has flown combat missions as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, will become the first female demonstration pilot in the 52-year history of the team.
Her father, Robert Ellingwood said his daughter knew she wanted to be in the Air Force as early as sixth grade when she announced in class that she wanted to be a fighter pilot.
Even though her teacher told the class that girls could not be fighter pilots, "she was just blessed at an early age to know what she wanted to do," Ellingwood said. "She kept her focus and she didn't let anything deter her."
"The focus of all of her efforts has been the positive side of things," Ellingwood said. "She forgot the incident really early on. She's a pilot and a patriot, and that's all she wants to be known for."
Although women have been allowed to enter flight training since 1976, no women were allowed into fighter training until 1993 when then Secretary of Defense Les Aspen gave the go-ahead for women to serve in combat roles.
Of the more than 12,000 pilots in the U.S. Air Force, 460 are female -- and only 46 fly fighter aircraft.
"Women have been an integral part of the Thunderbird team for decades," Malachowski said in a press release. "The women of yesterday and today's Air Force maintain a tradition of excellence, and it is that heritage that has given me this exciting responsibility of being the first female Thunderbird pilot."
Malachowski graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1996 and trained to fly the F-15E fighter. Her first assignment was at RAF Lakenheath, and she has flown more than 1,000 hours in the F-15.
Jackie Parker, a pilot with the New York Air National Guard, became the first female fighter pilot when she was given an F-16 assignment within the Air Force in 1994.
While no female Air Force pilots have died in combat, Capt. Amy Lynn Svoboda became the first female pilot casualty when her A-10 fighter crashed on a training mission in Arizona in 1997.
Pilots on the Thunderbirds team typically serve two-year commitments. Other new pilots include Lt. Col. Kevin Robbins, who will be commander, and Capt. Ed Casey, who will fly the number six solo position.
Returning members from the 2005 team include Maj. Rusty Keen, Maj. Steve Horton, Maj. Brian Farrar, Maj. Jeremy Sloane and Capt. Todd Randolph. Capt. Angela Johnson returns as the public affairs officer. Capt. Tad Clark will become the new advance pilot/narrator, known as the "voice" of the Thunderbirds.
Female pilots are playing a more active role in other countries too. Even Pakistan, where women typically don't even work, saw one recruit Saba Khan, enter the cockpit this year for advanced level pilot training in that country's air force.
Female pilots also are known to fly fighter aircraft in Russia, China and Israel, among others.
As the Thunderbirds are a recruiting tool for the Air Force, Thunderbirds officials contend the addition of Malachowski speaks volumes for the role women are playing in today's service.
"Capt. Malachowski is absolutely the right person for the job, gender aside," said Staff Sgt. Katherine Garcia, a Thunderbirds spokeswoman. "The fact that she is a female and a highly skilled aviator is such an added benefit to the Air Force and the Thunderbirds. We are very excited to announce her hiring and look forward to two great seasons with her on our right wing."
The U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds" is an Air Combat Command unit comprised of eight pilots, including six demonstration pilots, four support officers, four civilians and about 120 enlisted support personnel.
The team's first performance was June 8, 1953, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Since then, the Thunderbirds have flown before more than 310 million people at 3,944 air demonstrations around the world.
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