![]() ![]() “There’s definitely been a trail blazed already and I’m really grateful to the women who have done that, but nobody has brought it up and I feel very much like an equal here,” said Flannery. Being selected by Vermont to fly the F-35 was “icing on the cake,” she explained.įlannery said the topic of her being the first female in the Guard to pilot an F-35 never came up throughout the three-year process of becoming the latest pilot in the 134th Fighter Squadron. After considering active duty, Flannery said she learned about the opportunities in the Air National Guard. The daughter of an Air Force pilot, Flannery said she always knew she wanted to fly for the military. “Right now, I just want to be the best wingman I can be,” said Flannery. ![]() She explained that though she is mission qualified and can be deployed, the two years will be spent learning from the wing’s instructor pilots and taking on certain roles in the wing, including working in the 134th’s scheduling office. “I feel very grateful they gave me this opportunity and can continue learning from everyone here.”īeing back at the wing as a new pilot entails two years of full-time, on-the-job training to keep developing her skills as a fighter pilot. “Flying in the B-course was a blast, but it’s really cool to be back,” she said. “I guess the only thing you’re experiencing for the first time is the feeling of actually being in the jet, but you’re already exposed how to work through all the problems and you have a lot of experience up there with you with your flight lead.”įlannery said she was excited to get back to Vermont and start flying with the wing. “We felt really prepared, the instructors were awesome and the simulators help prepare you very well,” said Flannery. Unlike the other fighters in the Air Force inventory, the F-35 has no two-seat variant for training. It was super fun to go up there and work through problems on your own, figure it out and just learn to be a wingman.” “You felt very prepared to go into a single seat for the first time. “It was awesome, the instructors were top-notch,” said Flannery. Then came the time to get into an F-35 for the first time at the Air Force’s “B-course,” which lasted nine months. That led to Intro to Fighter Fundamentals and Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion school. “It’s exciting to get up there, go fast and be able to employ weapons, so that was one of the more appealing parts of it.”Īfter a successful interview and hiring board, the 30-year-old former boxing instructor from Kentucky was sent to Officer Training School to get her commission.įlannery already had a pilot’s license, so was able to go straight to undergraduate pilot training for over a year of successful training on T-6 and T-38 aircraft. I liked the focus it required and I liked the community a lot,” Flannery said about why she set out to be a fighter pilot. “I really wanted to be on the leading edge. 7, 2022, marked Flannery’s first flight as a member of the Vermont Air National Guard. Interviewing with the 134th Fighter Squadron in 2019, Flannery was part of a small group of hundreds of applicants selected to become the squadron’s newest pilots.Īfter being home for a week, Sept. “I was really excited, and I was lucky enough to get a pilot slot with them.” Kelsey Flannery, the first female F-35 pilot in the Air National Guard. I was really interested in a fighter slot, and Vermont is just beautiful,” said 1st Lt. Now, the latest chapter of Green Mountain Boys’ history has been written. In 2019, it was the first wing in the Air National Guard to receive the F-35A Lightning II.Īs the only wing in the Guard to fly a fifth-generation fighter, the Airmen have continuously made their mark, including recently completing the first overseas Guard deployment of the F-35. It wasn’t the first time for the 158th Fighter Wing. Over the Vermont mountains, history was made at 20,000 feet. – Three years of training led to one very important day. ![]()
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