Luke AFB Thunderbolt April 7, 2017
P. 1
We build the future of airpower
INSIDE
April 2017 Vol. 17, No. 4
STORIES
FMS pilots reach 100, 3
944th B-O-B awards, 4
63rd gets first F-35, 5
FF train with Scottsdale, 6
56th FW annual awards, 7
Luke’s role in AETC mission, 18
FEATURE
Vanessa Delgado
99-YEAR-OLD-VET
See Page 10
Lt. Col. Christine Mau, 33rd Operations Group deputy commander, stands in front of an F-35A Lightning II Feb. 27 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. In 2013, Mau became the first and only female F-35 pilot in the world after flying the F-15E Strike Eagle for 16 years. She uses her unique position to embolden and motivate young men and women into the field of aviation.
Pioneer female F-35 pilot felt call early
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Story and photos by Staff Sgt. PETER THOMPSON
33rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Florida — At what point in time did you realize your calling in life? Can you pinpoint a specific moment when you decided the goal you would dedicate yourself to?
For Lt. Col. Christine Mau, 33rd Opera- tions Group deputy commander and only female F-35 Lightning II pilot, that moment came when she was age 5. Her family had just moved to California, near El Toro Ma- rine Corps Air Station.
“I can very clearly remember these fight- ers beating up the pattern and saying, ‘I want to do that same thing one day,’” Mau said, with her eyes lighting up. “I can re- member my mom saying women couldn’t do that yet. It stuck with me.”
Although flying fighter aircraft wasn’t opened to women until 1993, Mau set her sights on being a fighter pilot while she was still in high school.
“Some people looked at me like I was crazy, but my friends looked at me like, ‘Yup, she is going to fly fighters,’” Mau said. “That’s just the person I was – confident, determined and super stubborn.”
Mau was accepted to attend Air Force Academy in pursuit of her fighter pilot dreams in 1993. Her flying career took off from there. She excelled through Un- dergraduate Pilot Training where she achieved her dream of being a fighter pilot. From there she went on to Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals and then the F-15E Basic Course.
She was competitive and eventually learned to be “thick-skinned,” both qualities she needed during her journey. She also
realized quickly how few women there were in aviation positions.
As she climbed through the ranks, she progressed through the chain of command and became a squadron commander at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, her final Strike Eagle assignment. After 16 years in the Strike Eagle, Mau transitioned to the F-35 in 2015; the first and only woman to do so.
“I’ve faced challenges my entire career, but nothing that was insurmountable,” she said. “What didn’t kill me made me stronger, and it’s what made me who I am today.”
Mau recognizes the significant role she plays as the only female F-35 pilot and strives to embolden and motivate young men and women into the field of aviation.
While the Air Force is comprised of 19
See F-35 Pilot, Page 12
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