The First Woman Thunderbirds Pilot - Episode 51

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:

• Nicole Malachowski's Website 
• Nicole Malachowski's Bio (Wikipedia) 

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