Taking flight at Holloman Air Force Base: 2024/05/14
ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Just to the north of El Paso, the Air Force's 54th Fighter Group at Holloman Air Force Base trains about 100 skilled F-16 pilots every year. Very few of them are women.
First Lieutenant Lili Ruland is one of two female student pilots at Holloman Air Force Base.
"I recently had a mentor tell me, you are a minority in this field, says 1LT Ruland. "A fighter pilot isn't a gender. It's who you are that's deeper than that."
Captain Ashley Thaxton is the second.
"This jet doesn't care if I'm a male or female. It just cares that I'm a good fighter pilot, says Capt. Thaxton."
According to the Department of Defense, women make up about twenty percent of the Air Force. However, they were not always allowed to fly fighter jets in combat.
In 1993, the military allowed women to fly combat missions for the first time.
It was one of the first combat roles that opened up to women in the military.
"It really just shows how much effort they put into having a diverse Air force, because that's truly what makes us stronger," Capt. Thaxton says.
To highlight the role of women in the program, ABC-7's Crista Mack is taking flight in an F-16. Watch her special report Thursday, only on ABC-7 at 10.
Women take flight at Holloman Air Force Base: 2024/05/16
ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico (KVIA) -- At times you hear them, and sometimes you can see them... F-16 combat fighter jets soaring high and fast over the southwestern skies.
Just to the north of El Paso, the Air Force's 54th Fighter Group at Holloman Air Force Base trains about 100 of those skilled F-16 pilots every year. Very few of them are women.
First Lieutenant Lili Ruland is one of two female student pilots at Holloman Air Force Base.
"I recently had a mentor tell me, you are a minority in this field, says 1LT Ruland. "A fighter pilot isn't a gender. It's who you are that's deeper than that."
Captain Ashley Thaxton is the second.
"This jet doesn't care if I'm a male or female. It just cares that I'm a good fighter pilot, says Capt. Thaxton."
Both came from families deeply rooted in military service, and say they were inspired to serve their country from an early age.
"My dad was a Viper pilot as well," says Capt. Thaxton. "So he was a Viper pilot for 30 years, and I watched him growing up, going out to go fly, talking about it. I knew that was something I always wanted to do."
According to the Department of Defense, women make up about twenty percent of the Air Force. However, they were not always allowed to fly in combat.
In 1993, the military allowed women to fly combat missions for the first time.
It was one of the first combat roles that opened up to women in the military.
"It really just shows how much effort they put into having a diverse Air force, because that's truly what makes us stronger," Capt. Thaxton says.
The Air Force established the Women's Initiative Team to identify any barriers that impacted women who serve. Military uniforms, equipment, flight gear, grooming standards were designed originally for men.
Airman Mia Butter says female pilots are in need of well fitting flight gear.
"As a woman, it's like we need different "G" suits, says Amn Butter. "It's either going to be a big waist and then it's, like tight legs or it's going to be like, big, let's say, smaller waist."
That is just one example of the challenges faced in training female pilots.
Holloman AFB officials say they train fifty percent of all f-16 Viper pilots in the Air Force. That's a quarter of fighter pilots overall, both men and women.
"No matter how hard it might be, no matter how exhausted you might be the day before," says 1LT Ruland. "At the end of the day, we're going to be up in the air above the fight, and someone's going to be counting on us the ground."
I suited up and trained with these student pilots, learning and seeing what it takes to become one of the twenty-five percent.
I served twelve years in the Air Force myself, but never flew in an F-16.
First, I had to be medically cleared. I then headed to equipment fitting and gear testing, which was no easy fit.
"G" suits had to properly fit to ensure blood circulated through my body to keep me from passing out during flight. Large amounts of oxygen had to flow through my mask to make sure there was a proper seal. Straps that connect to the parachute were inspected in case we needed to eject form the aircraft during an emergency. After many safety briefings, I was ready to fly.
Major Christopher Luke, who goes by the call sign "Limbo", is assigned to the Eighth Fighter Squadron.
Call signs, originating in WWII, is an acronym or nickname given to describe a pilot's attributes and used to communicate via the radio
In twelve years of flying, I was the second civilian ever to fly with Maj. Luke
We take off and fly up to seven hundred miles per hour. The clouds hovered below us.
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