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The Blue Angels First Female Pilot
* * * EDIT * * * There is a one-line blurb in the middle of the article which I missed on the first go...she is assigned to the Blue Angles in the support capacity and flies the C-130, NOT one of the demo aircraft. However, getting on the team is still a major accomplishment in any capacity so I don't wish to diminish that. The way this article was presented I mistakenly assumed she was one of the demo pilots, but now that I have studied the photos more closely, the picture on the left shows her standing in front of Albert, the C-130, and the photo in the cockpit is a two-fisted selfie if you study the reflection in her visor you can see that. I had mistakenly assumed it was like a Go-Pro pic of her flying. Sorry for the flub. Thanks to MAJ Ronnie Reams for calling my attention to this. * * * EDIT * * *
This was on my Facebook feed this morning. This is a very significant accomplishment for ANY Naval Aviator. Congratulations Capt. Higgins! You have to be a very "hot stick" to make the grade to fly with these magnificent airmen! They are truly the best there is!
Captain Katie Higgins is flying into history this weekend as she takes to the skies as the first female pilot in the 69 year history of the Blue Angels! At the Beaufort Air Show in South Carolina, she will fly publicly for the first time as an official member of the US Navy's elite flight squadron which performs spectacular air demonstrations for 11 million spectators each year. For the Maryland native, being an aviation trailblazer and role model is an honor: "if that is inspiring to people, if that's inspiring to little girls around the country, then I'm doing my job."
A Marine Corps Captain and Naval Academy graduate, Higgins is a third-generation military aviator whose inspiration to fly first came from her father who was an F-18 Hornet pilot. She's excited about the prospect of inspiring the next generation: "I think by including a lady on the team, that just shows little girls and guys that women can do whatever they put their mind to. Little girls have told me that they didn't even know that ladies could fly aircraft, that women could be in the cockpit."
Now with Captain Higgins in the pilot seat and performing the famous Blue Angels flying maneuvers, Mighty Girls everywhere will see that there are no limits to their dreams of flying high!
To read more about Captain Higgins' story on CBS, visit http://cbsn.ws/1CzDi1w
For a fantastic picture book about a young girl who wants to build a flying machine, we highly recommend "Rosie Revere, Engineer" for ages 4 to 9 at http://www.amightygirl.com/rosie-revere-engineer
If your Mighty Girl wants to become a pilot or you'd like to encourage her interest in flight, check out our blog post, "Mighty Careers: I Want To Be A Pilot!" for girl-empowering books, toys, and clothing at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=6249
For many books about fellow aviation trailblazer Amelia Earhart, visit our "Amelia Earhart Collection" at http://www.amightygirl.com/character-collection/historical-characters-1/amelia-earhart
And, for a variety of fictional and biographical books about girls and women who love to fly, visit our "Planes" section at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/general-interest/transportation?cat=129
* * * EDIT * * * There is a one-line blurb in the middle of the article which I missed on the first go...she is assigned to the Blue Angles in the support capacity and flies the C-130, NOT one of the demo aircraft. However, getting on the team is still a major accomplishment in any capacity so I don't wish to diminish that. The way this article was presented I mistakenly assumed she was one of the demo pilots, but now that I have studied the photos more closely, the picture on the left shows her standing in front of Albert, the C-130, and the photo in the cockpit is a two-fisted selfie if you study the reflection in her visor you can see that. I had mistakenly assumed it was like a Go-Pro pic of her flying. Sorry for the flub. Thanks to MAJ Ronnie Reams for calling my attention to this. * * * EDIT * * *
This was on my Facebook feed this morning. This is a very significant accomplishment for ANY Naval Aviator. Congratulations Capt. Higgins! You have to be a very "hot stick" to make the grade to fly with these magnificent airmen! They are truly the best there is!
Captain Katie Higgins is flying into history this weekend as she takes to the skies as the first female pilot in the 69 year history of the Blue Angels! At the Beaufort Air Show in South Carolina, she will fly publicly for the first time as an official member of the US Navy's elite flight squadron which performs spectacular air demonstrations for 11 million spectators each year. For the Maryland native, being an aviation trailblazer and role model is an honor: "if that is inspiring to people, if that's inspiring to little girls around the country, then I'm doing my job."
A Marine Corps Captain and Naval Academy graduate, Higgins is a third-generation military aviator whose inspiration to fly first came from her father who was an F-18 Hornet pilot. She's excited about the prospect of inspiring the next generation: "I think by including a lady on the team, that just shows little girls and guys that women can do whatever they put their mind to. Little girls have told me that they didn't even know that ladies could fly aircraft, that women could be in the cockpit."
Now with Captain Higgins in the pilot seat and performing the famous Blue Angels flying maneuvers, Mighty Girls everywhere will see that there are no limits to their dreams of flying high!
To read more about Captain Higgins' story on CBS, visit http://cbsn.ws/1CzDi1w
For a fantastic picture book about a young girl who wants to build a flying machine, we highly recommend "Rosie Revere, Engineer" for ages 4 to 9 at http://www.amightygirl.com/rosie-revere-engineer
If your Mighty Girl wants to become a pilot or you'd like to encourage her interest in flight, check out our blog post, "Mighty Careers: I Want To Be A Pilot!" for girl-empowering books, toys, and clothing at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=6249
For many books about fellow aviation trailblazer Amelia Earhart, visit our "Amelia Earhart Collection" at http://www.amightygirl.com/character-collection/historical-characters-1/amelia-earhart
And, for a variety of fictional and biographical books about girls and women who love to fly, visit our "Planes" section at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/general-interest/transportation?cat=129
Posted in these groups: 
Women in the Military
Flying
Women in the Military Flying
Edited 9 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 23
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PO1 Patrick Sonnenburg
C'mon Navy! How'd ya let a Jarhead get past you on this one!! Congrats Captain! I've been watching you guys fly since I was a kid. Even My Drill Instructor was a mechanic for the Blue Angels. You are the baddest things in the air for sure! I bet this C-130 gets pushed past its limits! Too cool.
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CAPT Kevin B.
The Blues do the showpiece JATO routine, i.e. have good takeoff speed and then add the extra engine and a half equivalent for the climb. No cargo helps too. Always an incredible sight. In operations, JATOs get used two different ways. Short runway early blast to get up is typical. More unusual is what we had to do in Antarctica on ski equipped C-130s. There you had to get as much speed on on the snow as possible, then cut in the JATOs to achieve lift off speed. Think C-130s are noisy? Skis and JATOs are really punishing.
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MAJ Hugh Blanchard
Wow, Jet-Assisted Take-Off (JATO), I've only seen that done in the real world twice. Cool, but noisy...
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I don't care what she flies. To qualify for this position she has to be "over and above" to be selected for this position. Besides that she looks a hell-of-a-lot better than any Captain I ever saw in the Corps.
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It is not clear and the photos conflict, does she fly Fat Albert or one of the jets?
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MAJ Ronnie Reams
@ SSGT Kevin Hopkins, that is why it was not clear. She could have been qualified in fighters, also, as the pix showed her flying one, too.
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CW4 Larry Curtis
SSgt Kevin Hopkins Thanks for your input. Sometimes I could just smack myself in the forehead and go "DUH!" but if I did that every time I would have a very flat forehead, not to mention pernament dain bramage. LOLOL. It's probably a good thing I don't charm snakes for a living, isn't it? ;)
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SSgt Kevin Hopkins
lol no worries i had to look close myself and only noticed because i was a flight engineer on that bird
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