Meet Air Force Reserve’s first female F-35 pilot

[spazsinbad]

Meet Air Force Reserve’s first female F-35 pilot
27 Aug 2018 Todd Cromar 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

"Col. Gina "Torch" Sabric, commander of the 419th Fighter Wing, August 27, 2018, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Col. Sabric is the Air Force Reserve's first female F-35 pilot. (U.S. Air Force photo Todd Cromar)"

PHOTO: https://cdn.dvidshub.net/media/thumbs/p ... 0w_q95.jpg

Source: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/4707013/ ... f-35-pilot

[outlaw162]

I think that is interesting that the Colonel has 2500 hours in 22 years. I wonder if that is the norm for current fighter wing commanders.

Flying appears to have become more cerebral than kinesthetic.

[spazsinbad]

More career details in this article which perhaps explains her situation better. Now there are four female F-35 pilots?

Meet Air Force Reserve’s First Female F-35 Pilot
10 Sep 2018 LM PR

"Before she climbed into the world’s most advanced fighter jet to become the Air Force Reserve’s first female F-35 pilot, Col. Gina “Torch” Sabric had already flown 10 airframes and racked up 22 years of flying experience....

...Sabric proved herself as the top graduate from navigator training, launching her career first as an F-15E Strike Eagle weapons system officer and later as a distinguished graduate from pilot training into the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Add to that the MQ-9 Reaper, a remotely piloted aircraft, and the T-38 Talon, which she flew as “red air,” or simulated enemy against F-22 Raptors. Most recently, she flew special operations missions in the C-146A Wolfhound out of Duke Field, Florida.

“I don’t have the typical flying career,” Sabric said of the multiple airframes she’s flown. “I’ve had the opportunity to bounce around with different aircraft and mission sets. I think it’s made me a better pilot because I’ve had the opportunity to experience so much outside the fighter world.”...

...Sabric said a lot has changed in the past 20 years. She doesn’t feel like “the token girl” in the squadron. She has more than 2,500 flying hours, including time in combat, and has deployed numerous times in support of Operations Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Noble Eagle....

...Still, there’s only a small number of women fighter pilots in the Air Force, and only three others – all active duty – in the F-35 community. Sabric said the birth of her son, Tyler, in 2011 was the deciding factor in leaving active duty for the Air Force Reserve, as it offered more flexibility in how and where she served.

“The Reserve provides an opportunity to serve either part time or full time when it works for you and your family,” she said. “It’s unique because everyone is here by choice. About two-thirds of our Airmen serve part time, and they do a phenomenal job of balancing work – both military and civilian – and family, because they want to serve in some capacity.”

Earlier this year, the Reserve brought Sabric, a single mom, to Hill AFB in Northern Utah, where less than three years earlier the 419th FW and its active duty counterpart, the 388th FW, received the Air Force’s first operational F-35A Lightning II. Since then, the two wings have flown the F-35 in a “Total Force” partnership, launching more than 9,000 sorties and logging nearly 15,000 hours in the jet....

...Sabric became fully qualified in the F-35 in August, having finished two months of training at Eglin AFB, Fla., and additional flying hours at Hill. “I’m still new in the airplane,” Sabric said. “Every sortie you learn something new, so as I continue to fly I’ll continue to learn. What the F-35 brings to the fight now, it’s lightyears beyond fourth-gen aircraft.”

Aside from the stealth technology that keeps the F-35 virtually invisible to radar, Sabric said the most impressive aspect of the jet is its “sensor fusion” – the vast wealth of information it collects and sends that can be shared with other aircraft, giving pilots a bigger picture of the battlespace. “Learning the F-35 is a challenge, and it’s a lot of new information to process and interpret,” Sabric said. But her diverse flying experience prepared her to make yet another switch. “Luckily, it’s still stick and rudder, and flying is flying.” Sabric looks forward to helping the F-35 reach full operational capability at Hill. By 2019, the base will be home to 78 jets and four fighter squadrons capable of worldwide deployment.…"

Source: https://www.f35.com/news/detail/meet-ai ... f-35-pilot

[outlaw162]

Spaz,

My comment is in reference to the Colonel's position as a wing commander, not to her being an F-35 pilot or what her 'situation' is. I had read that narrative on the site's NEWS page when it was posted. With her wealth of experience "outside the fighter world", I'm sure she is an excellent manager.

The quote, "Luckily, it's still stick-and-rudder...." just seems a little incongruous, that's all. I wish her the best....we're on the same side.