Air Guard’s 1st Female F-35 Pilot has Inaugural Flight in Vermont
Published Sept. 9, 2022
By Master Sgt. Ryan Campbell,
158th Fighter Wing
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. – Three years of training led to one very important day. Over the Vermont mountains, history was made at 20,000 feet.
It wasn’t the first time for the 158th Fighter Wing. In 2019, it was the first wing in the Air National Guard to receive the F-35A Lightning II.
As 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.
Now, the latest chapter of Green Mountain Boys’ history has been written.
“I saw that they were having interviews. I was really interested in a fighter slot, and Vermont is just beautiful,” said 1st Lt. Kelsey Flannery, the first female F-35 pilot in the Air National Guard. “I was really excited, and I was lucky enough to get a pilot slot with them.”
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https://www.ang.af.mil/Media/Article-Display/Article/3153305/air-guards-1st-female-f-35-pilot-has-inaugural-flight-in-vermont/
