First female Thunderbird

[Bergman]

So did she get the job because she's sh*t-hot or because she's got tits?

Becoming Thunderbird is dream come true for Nevada native

by Verla D. Davis

48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

7/6/2005 - ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England (AFPN) -- She was only 5 years old when she saw an F-4 Phantom fighter jet soar and maneuver through the clouds during an air show. It was then she knew she would someday do the same.

Now, 26 years later, Capt. Nicole Malachowski is getting her chance to do just that and enter the history book at the same time. The 494th Fighter Squadron flight commander and F-15E Strike Eagle instructor pilot here was recently selected to be the first female pilot to fly with the elite U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, better know as the Thunderbirds.

The Las Vegas native said she never considered being a member of the Thunderbirds.

“My husband was chatting with me one day, and he brought it up,” she said. “I thought, ‘Really? I qualify to apply? I could never be a Thunderbird.’”

With reassurance from her husband, Captain Malachowski’s disbelief turned to motivation.

“The Air Force has so many great opportunities out there, and all you have to do is apply,” she said. “It never hurts to try, does it?”

And try she did. Only four to five applicants are selected to demonstrate their flying abilities and compete for one of the three demonstrations pilot positions which come open each year. Captain Malachowski secured one of the positions and her husband said he could not be more proud of her.

“She earned this prestigious job with a great work ethic and a constant desire to do the best,” said Maj. Paul Malachowski, an F-15 weapons system officer evaluator with the 48th Operations Group here.

Captain Malachowski credits her parents for her focus and courage to follow her dreams.

“(My parents) would often ask me rhetorical questions to get me thinking,” she said. “Questions like, ‘So you’re going to be a fighter pilot? How does one become a fighter pilot?’”

Though they never gave her answers to those questions, it was enough to get her interested in finding out the answers for herself and to increase her desire to fulfill her goals.

While still in high school, her love of flying prompted her to take lessons.

“At the end of the day, I would ride my bike down to North Las Vegas Airport, hang out and make friends with some of the more experienced pilots there,” she said. “They would take me up for lessons and take me flying.”

As a member of the Nevada Civil Air Patrol, she received a scholarship that paid for flying lessons when most of her peers were learning how to drive.

“(The Civil Air Patrol) paid for lessons all the way through to my solo flight, which happened just about the same time I got my driver’s license,” she said. “The Civil Air Patrol was fantastic to me.”

After high school, she was accepted to the Naval and Coast Guard academies, but turned them down when she was accepted to the Air Force Academy, a desire she had since elementary school.

Captain Malachowski continued her love for flying while at the Air Force Academy where she was a cadet glider and instructor pilot for three years.

With more than 1,100 flying hours under her belt, mostly in the F-15E Strike Eagle, the captain will begin her Thunderbird training in November when she will train to fly the No. 3 right-wing position of the diamond formation. The formation consists of four aircraft -- one lead, two slightly behind on either side of the lead, and the final plane sitting in the rear slot.

“We are going to be flying so close at such high speeds together; there is no margin for error at all,” she said. “We have to have that area of trust … I can’t believe that I am going to be a part of that.”

Although Captain Malachowski is an accomplished pilot with more than 200 combat hours, she said her new challenge will be learning to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon during training at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

“I am not a Thunderbird yet. I have a long road ahead of me,” she said. “I’m honored for the awesome opportunity they have provided me here with asking me to become a part of their team. I think I am living proof that … dreams do come true.” (Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)

[Guest waxgoblin]

"So did she get the job because she's sh*t-hot or because she's got tits?"

the thunderbirds' job is recruitment, so having tits would help bring other tits into the air force, which would be a reason to give her the job for having tits.

[Guest Rainman A-10]

Who is her husband?

Did she really not know she was qualified to apply to the T-Clones?

[Toro]

Originally posted by Rainman A-10:

Who is her husband?

Eeyore Malachowski - he's a WSO with the 492 (across the hall from Fifi's squadron).

Did she really not know she was qualified to apply to the T-Clones?

Yeah Right.

[Hacker]

Originally posted by Bergman:

So did she get the job because she's sh*t-hot or because she's got tits?

I flew with her in the 336th at SJAFB and I can assure you she's just as qualified as a fighter pilot than any of the other guys on the T-clones.

She was a better 4FL/IP than most of the guys in the squadron.

Did she really not know she was qualified to apply to the T-Clones?

I don't think everyone is constantly looking at their AFORMS printouts and yardsticking their experience against what it takes to apply to the Thunderbirds. Hell, I don't know the min requirement to get on the team, but it's only because I really don't care and have never looked into it.

[ 07. July 2005, 17:14: Message edited by: Hacker ]

[Bergman]

Originally posted by Hacker:

I flew with her in the 336th at SJAFB and I can assure you she's just as qualified as a fighter pilot than any of the other guys on the T-clones.

Thanks, Hacker. That's the feedback I was really looking for. I'm glad to hear that someone deserving got the slot [first female T-bird slot, that is] vs. the AFs habit of just finding someone to fit their desired demographic and making it happen, regardless of skill.

[ 07. July 2005, 18:34: Message edited by: Bergman ]

[Techsan]

Good for her...is she hot? Just kidding, I don't want to revive that thread again!

I do know several females that fly a better jet than most males.

I just hope it isn't based solely on recruitment.

[Guest Rainman A-10]

Originally posted by Hacker:

She was a better 4FL/IP than most of the guys in the squadron.

Best of the best.

Originally posted by Hacker:

I don't think everyone is constantly looking at their AFORMS printouts and yardsticking their experience against what it takes to apply to the Thunderbirds.

I don't think I said EVERYONE is constantly doing anything. If I did, I take it back. I was talking about ONE PERSON.

I've had several friends over the years who applied to be T-Clones, about 2/3 of them made the team. Every single one of them knew exactly what the requirements were. None of them were in the "best pilots I have ever seen" category but they were all decent sticks.

I'm just saying I don't buy the whole "I just happened to be stop into the USAF ADS building to use the sh!tter and they asked me to become a member of the team!" line. False humility is a thin veil.

[Hacker]

Originally posted by Rainman A-10:

Best of the best.

Well, I am not gonna go that far by a long shot. I'm not trying to heap on some God-like praise of her skills by my comment, just note that she was a better flight lead and IP than many of the other IPs in the squadron. Not the best...just better than some of them.

Every pilot I hear talk about her making it on the team automatically starts implying that it was strictly because of her gender. I haven't heard one pilot in the discussion consider the possibility that she got there on merit.

I merely wanted to relate that, in my experience, she was a legitimately good fighter pilot and didn't make it to the Team due to some kind of gender quota or batting her eyes and shaking her stuff in the interview.

On top of that, she's a cool one to have in the bar and can out-drink, out-curse, and out-sexually-harass the vast majority of fighter pilots I know. I'm interested to see how she tempers those "skills" now that she is a recruiting tool (no STS required there...).

[Guest SnakeT38]

I DO KNOW and have flown with SEVERAL, CIVILIAN

trained, females, senior to me at AA, to a person,

THEY ALL appear to have PULLED "some card"

to be hired as young as they were. I reserved

my judgement UNTIL I actually flew with them, when I did, their "reputations" were confirmed

and the LARGEST problem I could see, they were VERY UNEASY around military pilots.........

IMO, with their "skills" and "attitude", they should be.

These women were the REASON...........I HIGHLY encouraged my daughter to go to UPT, IMO, STILL and ALWAYS will be the ABSOLUTE BEST PLACE to learn to fly the RIGHT WAY!!!!

[Guest Rainman A-10]

Originally posted by Hacker:

Not the best...just better than some of them.

Better than you?

Originally posted by Hacker:

Every pilot I hear talk about her making it on the team automatically starts implying that it was strictly because of her gender. I haven't heard one pilot in the discussion consider the possibility that she got there on merit.

My experience has been it is not worth trying to defend a friend who made the team as a good dude. Everyone who makes the team takes crap about something, no matter how shit hot they were beforehand. If they are really good sh!ts they remain good sh!ts but they deserve to take crap while they do their loops to music tour. they also deserve to take crap when they return to the real world. If they are really good sh!ts they can take it but they must know that some people will assume that every good deal or good job or school slot they get after that is because they were a T-Clone. It doesn't matter if it it true or not, it is a fact in the USAF.

OBTW, I'm not in the group that says FiFi didn't make it on merit. There is no way to fake the required formation flying skills. If someone can't do it they don't make the team. If they make the team and they can't learn it they get the boot and some unlucky bastard thet broke free from the team last year gets yanked back. I'm absolutely positive she is a good stick or she would not have made it this far. What really happened is she won the interview process, she still has to learn the routine and she can still get the boot if she swaps paint enough times. BTW, those guys do swap paint and no one hears about it.

Anyone that thinks you can make the team in the 1-6 postition based on kissing ass or race or gender and not have the flying skills required to do the job knows nothing about what the T-Clones do for a living or their interview process.

Anyone who thinks it is flying skills alone and the very best pilots in the interview process will get the job are also clueless. It's a club. You have to fit in with the team, you have to be presentable and you have to be able to fly formation.

Originally posted by Hacker:

I merely wanted to relate that, in my experience, she was a legitimately good fighter pilot and didn't make it to the Team due to some kind of gender quota or batting her eyes and shaking her stuff in the interview.

I would give her props if she did shake her moneymaker to help get the job. If she is as smart as you say then she knew that if she could match any other dude in the flying portion of the interview her gender was going to be the nuclear qualifier when it came to looking at the non-flying part of the equally qualified pilots.

I say good on her.

[Scooter14]

and you have to be able to fly formation.

I'm screwed...

[Bergman]

Originally posted by Scooter14:

I'm screwed...

[Guest Piperpilot2004]

Went to Wings Over Pittsburgh, I thought I saw her walking around talking to people. But I am not 100% sure. Anybody go to that show by the way? It was a great one!

[Guest croftfam]

Not that I want to, but have (or is it even possible) rotary wing guy's ever crossed over? Not counting Rainman of course. :D

[KennyB]

Let's not mention the fact that she's a pilot and her hubby is a WSO... ROUGH.

[Guest Rainman A-10]

If she can't hack the formation maybe she can be the "lips".

[HerkDerka]

Originally posted by kenblankenship:

Let's not mention the fact that she's a pilot and her hubby is a WSO... ROUGH.

So I guess he's used to riding her back side...rough.

HD

[ 10. July 2005, 00:48: Message edited by: HerkDriver24 ]

[Guest twood]

Is she the first female to apply and be selected or have females applied in the past?

The reason I am asking is because it would seem a little odd if she is the first female to apply and be selected. I am sure she is a great pilot and deserves it but, I also think it is extremly narrow minded to think there was NO consideration of her gender what-so-ever when she applied.

It has always happened in the past from the first African American astronaunt, to the first female at the zoo, citadel, etc. and so on. Someone high up on the food chain gets it in their mind they want the first (###) in postion (###) it is going to happen.

It is a way to show the public that a traditionally white boy career field is non-

partisan, PC, and excepting of all forms, shapes, and colors. Just my opinions on the whole situation.

[Guest Rainman A-10]

Originally posted by twood:

It has always happened in the past from the first African American astronaunt, to the first female at the zoo, citadel, etc. and so on. Someone high up on the food chain gets it in their mind they want the first (###) in postion (###) it is going to happen.

Yeah, I remember back before someone high up in the food chain started letting African Americans and girls and Jews and Mexicans and all the rest of those people in. Man, those were the good old days...right guys?!

WTFO?!

[Guest twood]

^not was I was trying to say^ I guess that was poorly written. I was just trying to prove the point that IF she is the FIRST female to apply AND get accepted it seems a little odd to me; and was using past firsts as examples........hope that cleared it up, it was not posted to slam minorities. Its just my opinion, take it or leave it.

By the way does anyone know if other females have applied in the past?

[Guest RAMSTY]

twood,

The answer is yes. At least two this year, and at least one the previous cycle.

[Hacker]

Originally posted by twood:

Is she the first female to apply and be selected or have females applied in the past?

As RAMSTY mentioned, qualified females have applied on the bast two boards. Two made it to the finals last year and two made it this year.

[Guest Clemsonpilot]

Originally posted by Bergman:

I'm screwed...

[Spartacus]

So... does anyone have a picture of this chick?