Air Force Fighter Pilot Fly F-35B On Navy Marine Corps Warship- Capt. Melanie Ziebart
- 3 years ago
#WomenOfAmerica #F35 #Femalepilot
Air Force Fighter Pilot Fly F-35B On Navy Marine Corps Warship: Capt. Melanie Ziebart
Air Force Pilot Joins Navy Marine Corps To Fly F-35B aboard its warship:
“When I get into the cockpit, it’s like the world shuts off around me and the only thing that matters is the mission,” said Air Force Capt. Melanie Ziebart, a pilot assigned to Yokota Air Force Base. “Being a single-seat fighter pilot is incredibly rewarding and confidence-building because it’s only you in that jet and you’re trusted to figure it out when things go wrong.”
Becoming a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force has been something of a family tradition. It was Ziebart’s parents who inspired her from a very young age, both of whom were fighter pilots. Her father was an F-16 pilot with the 35th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, Korea.
Her mother was in the first graduating class of women at the Air Force Academy; an essential asset to paving the way for women in military aviation. After pilot training, she became an instructor for the T-37 and later went on to fly the KC-135.
“I absolutely look up to her,” said Ziebart. “She never let the attitude of men-thinking-women-didn’t-belong-as-pilots deter her. Her positive outlook and determination inspired me throughout my Air Force journey and her experiences taught me that gender doesn’t matter in the cockpit.”
Her parents took her to an Air Force Academy football game where she first watched the Thunderbirds fly over the stadium, that moment would become a significant memory and helped fuel her passion for flying which, combined with inspiration from her parents, cemented her decision to become a pilot. “Before college I was really dedicated to school and sports,” said Ziebart. “I always knew I wanted to be a fighter pilot, so I worked really hard to set myself up for that goal. My parents both taught me that I could be and do anything that I wanted if I worked hard enough. I always knew that I wanted to serve my country in some way and based on their stories, flying jets didn’t seem like a bad way to do it.” As she grew older, Ziebart continued towards her childhood goal. During her time at the University of Southern California, she joined the ROTC program. She became Detachment 060’s Air Force ROTC Distinguished Graduate and Cadet of the Year, to kick-start her career as a pilot. After graduating, Ziebart was chosen for the Euro-NATO Joint Jet pilot training program at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. There, she was officially selected as a fighter pilot and chosen to fly the F-16 Viper, the same aircraft her father flew. She went on to fly the F-16C with the 80th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, Korea. Ziebart said it was a special moment receiving her first orders to the same fighter assignment in Korea her father had 30 years before her and she remembered the moment when she found her father’s name-tag on display at Kunsan. “I was able to go over there and put my name-tag next to his
Air Force Fighter Pilot Fly F-35B On Navy Marine Corps Warship: Capt. Melanie Ziebart
Air Force Pilot Joins Navy Marine Corps To Fly F-35B aboard its warship:
“When I get into the cockpit, it’s like the world shuts off around me and the only thing that matters is the mission,” said Air Force Capt. Melanie Ziebart, a pilot assigned to Yokota Air Force Base. “Being a single-seat fighter pilot is incredibly rewarding and confidence-building because it’s only you in that jet and you’re trusted to figure it out when things go wrong.”
Becoming a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force has been something of a family tradition. It was Ziebart’s parents who inspired her from a very young age, both of whom were fighter pilots. Her father was an F-16 pilot with the 35th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, Korea.
Her mother was in the first graduating class of women at the Air Force Academy; an essential asset to paving the way for women in military aviation. After pilot training, she became an instructor for the T-37 and later went on to fly the KC-135.
“I absolutely look up to her,” said Ziebart. “She never let the attitude of men-thinking-women-didn’t-belong-as-pilots deter her. Her positive outlook and determination inspired me throughout my Air Force journey and her experiences taught me that gender doesn’t matter in the cockpit.”
Her parents took her to an Air Force Academy football game where she first watched the Thunderbirds fly over the stadium, that moment would become a significant memory and helped fuel her passion for flying which, combined with inspiration from her parents, cemented her decision to become a pilot. “Before college I was really dedicated to school and sports,” said Ziebart. “I always knew I wanted to be a fighter pilot, so I worked really hard to set myself up for that goal. My parents both taught me that I could be and do anything that I wanted if I worked hard enough. I always knew that I wanted to serve my country in some way and based on their stories, flying jets didn’t seem like a bad way to do it.” As she grew older, Ziebart continued towards her childhood goal. During her time at the University of Southern California, she joined the ROTC program. She became Detachment 060’s Air Force ROTC Distinguished Graduate and Cadet of the Year, to kick-start her career as a pilot. After graduating, Ziebart was chosen for the Euro-NATO Joint Jet pilot training program at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. There, she was officially selected as a fighter pilot and chosen to fly the F-16 Viper, the same aircraft her father flew. She went on to fly the F-16C with the 80th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, Korea. Ziebart said it was a special moment receiving her first orders to the same fighter assignment in Korea her father had 30 years before her and she remembered the moment when she found her father’s name-tag on display at Kunsan. “I was able to go over there and put my name-tag next to his