Major Cherish Krutil, Combat Pilot & USAF Veteran: “Follow Your Heart and Do What You Love.”

by Jess Clackum

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, Major Krutil enjoyed outdoor sports, and played volleyball and ran track in high school. She excelled in academics and was a member of the National Honor Society.  Her interest in aviation began at a young age. When she was a teenager, she attended the annual Cleveland National Air Shows.

“I can remember leaving the airshow filled with excitement and I knew that's what I wanted to do.  There was nothing else that compared to watching those planes flying around, and listening to the sound of them pass overhead.  Although it has been years since I have been to that air show, it is the birthplace of my love of aviation.”

After high school, Krutil attended Wright State University and studied Business Management. While there, she began pursuit of her aviation career by joining the Air Force ROTC. While a part of ROTC, she acquired a strong sense of country and what it means to be in the military.  She became friendly with a number of her fellow cadets who had family members stationed at nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force. Not having come from a military family herself, when she learned the experiences of her military-brat cadet friends, she was made aware of the vast contrast in upbringing between military and non-military lifestyles. Through these lessons, she gained a great deal of respect for the sacrifices of military families.

Krutil was commissioned a Second Lieutenant the day she graduated from college in 1997. The ceremony was held at the Wright Brothers Memorial, a quiet and serene place where Krutil would go often during her college days when she sought peace and serenity---where she often reflected on the past and the accomplishments of the Wright Brothers and how they changed the world---and ultimately her life.

“To me, it was the perfect place to go and dream and yet reflect on the past and what Orville and Wilbur did so many years ago.  I felt so lucky to have had the opportunity to go to such a wonderful place, so often, and to also have been commissioned into the USAF there.”

Krutil completed Joint Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (JSUPT) in 1999, the only woman in her class. During that time, she flew the T-37 Tweet and T-1 Jayhawk.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1260.0"] The Cessna T-37 Tweet and T-1A Jayhawk. The T-37 is a small, twin-engined jet trainer-attack type aircraft used as a primary trainer in the Air Force. The T-1 Jayhawk is an advanced trainer for airlift and tanker pilots. [/caption]

After pilot training, she was stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan where she flew the C-9 Nightingale (Aerovac) all over the Pacific, including the tiny islands between Japan and Hawaii. She notes that a trip to Iwo Jima was a rather solemn experience. 

“While I was flying C-9s at Yokota, I flew to Iwo Jima a few times.  I had the rare opportunity to explore the island, and stand at the top of Mt. Suribachi.  As I stood on top, looking down at the tiny island and the beaches, I had this huge sense of sadness and my heart became heavy. It is one thing to read in textbooks, the battles that took place there but it is a quite different experience to be present in a place where so many men lost their lives.”

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] The McDonnell Douglas C-9 is a military version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 airliner. It was produced as the C-9A Nightingale for the United States Air Force, and the C-9B Skytrain II for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. [/caption]

After completing her tour in Japan, Major Krutil relocated to Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina where she served as an instructor pilot and flew the C-130E. A pilot with over 500 combat hours, Major Krutil deployed several times to the Middle East as a combat pilot in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.  

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] USAF Lockheed C130-E Hercules (Photo credit: Carsten Gurk, Planespotters.net) [/caption]

Krutil was on standby on September 11, 2001. She recalls, “Due to time zone differences, the attack on the US happened during the night.  I was unaware of this until after I had gotten up in the morning.  I called in to see if there was the chance we might be going somewhere that day, just to get a heads up on the day.  I was informed to turn on my TV and that the FAA had cancelled all flying.  However, due to an urgent patient who needed to get to Guam, we still had a mission to do.  All flying had ceased from Yokota AB.  It took all day to get security clearances, and clearances to fly.  That night, we took off from Yokota to go to Guam.  It was the quietest, most eerie night I've ever flown. No other aircraft, no radio traffic, just silence.  The approximately three hour flight seemed to take forever.  I still get goosebumps today just thinking about it.  Especially knowing I am one of very few Americans who flew directly after the attacks.”

Flying is a family affair as Major Krutil’s husband Clarke, whom she met while working at the Combined Air Ops Center (CAOC) in Al Udeid, is a former C-130J pilot with the Royal Australian Air Force. When she was reassigned to the UK in 2005 as an exchange pilot and flew C-130K’s with the Brits out of RAF Lyneham, flying all over the UK, Europe and Africa, Clarke wound up stationed there too---also as an exchange pilot. The two fell in love and when he had just a year left in the UK and Krutil was faced with an important decision---relocate to Little Rock Air Force Base as an instructor or separate from the Air Force, she chose to leave the service she loved. She and her husband were married in a castle in England and now live happily in Perth, Australia with two wonderful children.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Cherish, Clarke & family. (Photo credit: Cherish Krutil) [/caption]

For the last five years, Krutil has worked for Jacobs Australia, CAE, and IDAT in the area of aviation training/development/design.  She is also a pilot studies lecturer at Polytechnic West and a business owner (Independent Consultant for Rodan and Fields).  While she is now a dual citizen of both the United States and Australia, she strives to connect the cultures. She will be a founding member of the newly formed Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Australia, regularly participates in ANZAC ceremonies to commemorate the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps in April each year who fought at Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire during World War I, and actively participates in US Memorial Services in Perth and other activities.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Cherish Krutil with the C-9. (Photo credit: Cherish Krutil) [/caption]

Krutil is indebted to the WASP for their service. She says, “The fact that these women were flying is a testament to how much they loved flying.  No honors, no recognition, nothing.  Most military members do not join the military for recognition or honors, but do it for the country.  You cannot sign on a dotted line, which includes the possibility of the ultimate sacrifice, if you do not love the country.  

I am in awe of what they accomplished.  It's women like them who inspired me to go on the journey I chose.  I can wholeheartedly understand the love and passion for flying an airplane.  These women did something well before their time, but if they hadn't they would not have paved the way for someone like myself.  I can only be humbled in their presence and of their accomplishments.  They deserve all the honors the men received, plus some! It is not only them who sacrificed during their journey, but their friends and families too.  I am sure they had some support, but at the same time, they were met with resistance and skepticism from many.  I can only say "thank you" to the WASPs.  It brings tears to my eyes to know how hard their journey was, as although mine was not easy, it was definitely easier due to the barriers the WASPs broke.  Having said that, I can also appreciate how full of love and passion runs through their veins when they were flying.  There is no other feeling like it in the world.  It will never go away and for those who have it in them, they will always be looking up to the sky.”

Major Krutil uses the lessons she has learned from the WASP combined with her own experiences to teach her children valuable lessons about life. “I hope that my past experiences can show my kids that you can be whatever you want to be.  Follow your heart and do what you love.  Don't worry about what other people say.  I hope this rings true for both of my kids, but especially for my daughter. I hope I can be a small inspiration to them, just as the WASP were a HUGE inspiration to me.”

We appreciate Major Krutil’s service to our country and her devotion to teaching her children that they can live their dreams. The younger generation will someday lead the world and we all want them to believe anything is possible!

LCDR Trier Kissell, MH-60R Seahawk pilot, strives to honor the WASP through her service.

by Jess Clackum

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="356.0"] (Photo credit: Trier Kissell) [/caption]

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Lieutenant Commander Trier Kissell, daughter of an Air Force test pilot, has lived and breathed flying for as long as she can remember. A pilot for the last twelve years, she graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2003 and graduated flight training in 2004 specializing in the T-34C and TH-57.

In 2007, Kissell served with the HSL-45 Wolfpack in San Diego flying the SH-60B and deployed as part of the John C. Stennis Strike Group (CVN-74) to the Persian Gulf. From 2008 to 2014, she served as flight instructor of the TH-57/Bell-206 helicopter in Pensacola. She left active duty for two years while continuing instructing as a Reservist and during that time she flew EMS/MEDEVAC as a civilian with the Air Evac Lifeteam in Cincinnati.  In 2014, she returned to active duty and underwent training in the MH-60R.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] The MH-60R Seahawk. [/caption]

Kissell has two loves---aviation and her family. She and her husband, a civilian aircraft mechanic have two young children.

“My decisions to leave and then rejoin Active Duty were based on a combination of family needs, a love for the service, and my complete inability to walk away from military aviation.” 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400.0"] For Trier Kissell, family is everything! (Photo credit: Trier Kissell) [/caption]

Kissell’s favorite role in her military career has been that of flight instructor. She believes in the importance of mentorship.

“By far the most meaningful role I've held is flight instructor.  I became passionate about my students and loved watching ‘the lightbulb’ appear in addition to sharing the joy of flying through a fresh set of eyes.  I have learned countless leadership lessons along the way, the most recent of these the importance of mentorship. 

There are few women who continue down my career path past the initial 10-year commitment to service.  I believe it is crucial that I set an example for those following behind, and since rejoining active duty I actively seek out opportunities to engage other women in my community.  I have been the recipient of profound mentorship along the way (from both men and women), and without it I would have given up on this career at the 10-year point like many of my peers.”

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400.0"] (Photo credit: Trier Kissell) [/caption]

LCDR Kissell acknowledges the women who paved the way for her to fly and believes the WASP story is extremely important in this era of equal opportunity as more and more women attempt to prove themselves in roles traditionally filled by men.

“It's not about proving yourself.  It's about service, and adding diverse qualities to our nation's fighting forces.  The WASP opened those doors for us and showed the world what women can bring to the table."

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400.0"] LCDR Kissell and colleagues (Photo credit: Trier Kissell) [/caption]

"I'm thankful for these women who have paved the way.  They enabled to me to assume, ‘I can do that,’ without ever asking the question, ‘Can I?’  While I was far from the first to break barriers in our profession, I find myself pushing against a different barrier of forging a career in military aviation with a husband and children in tow.  These women set a standard of professionalism, dedication and motivation that I don't take lightly.  Their legacy is something I strive to honor one day (and one flight) at a time.”

Like the WASP, LCDR Kissell paves the way for future generations of women. Her determination and courage is an example for girls everywhere, showing them that they too can achieve their dreams.

Captain Miranda Gahn, US Army Blackhawk pilot: "I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams that I'd be so lucky!"

by Jess Clackum

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480.0"] Captain Miranda Gahn with the UH-60 Blackhawk at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati.  (Photo credit: MIranda Gahn) [/caption]

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Captain Miranda Gahn enlisted in the Army Reserve at the age of 17. She joined the ROTC in college and was commissioned as an MP in the Ohio National Guard upon graduation during which time she was deployed in support of Operation Noble Eagle, the post 9/11 mobilization of thousands of National Guard and reservists for the purpose of performing security missions on military installations, airports and other potential targets such as bridges, power plants and port facilities.

Upon return from deployment and having decided on a career with the Judge Advocate General (JAG) office,  Gahn attended Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. She'd had no intentions of becoming a pilot until her second year of law school when she was approached by an Aviation Officer with the Ohio National Guard who discussed with her the idea of branch transferring to Aviation and pursuing a military career as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot. The Aviation Officer was very candid about increasing the number of women in Ohio’s aviation community. Gahn was both surprised and flattered. She says, “I was flattered at the interest and reasoned that the opportunity to fly helicopters for the Army was probably an "opportunity of a lifetime", I figured I could always pursue JAG at a later date.”

Gahn applied for flight school with the mindset that if she was accepted it was meant to be and if not, she would simply continue pursuit of her law career. In summer 2009, she graduated from law school and passed the bar exam and in January 2010 she reported to flight school.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400.0"] (Photo credit: Miranda Gahn) [/caption]

“Flight school was challenging! Some might argue that I just completed law school, that flight school should have been a breeze, but it presented different challenges. I am a type-A personality and wanted to be really good, but aviation and aerodynamics and mechanics and systems was just not something I was naturally good at, no real aptitude for it.

In addition to overcoming material that was mostly foreign to me, I was also the most senior ranking officer in my flight school class. I attended flight school later than most students...flight school for me in my military, was sort of mid-career, I already had a primary branch, MP, while most of the students were newly commissioned and this would be their first job in the military as officers, so they were in their early to mid 20s while I was in my late 20s. 

Adding the additional responsibility of being the most senior ranking officer, while being a gender minority and working through unfamiliar material and being afraid that any weakness would be attributed to my gender made for a stressful year!”

Gahn met the challenges head-on and graduated from flight school in March 2011 and since that time she has enjoyed and treasured the opportunity to fly.

“I do feel like every step of the way has been challenging, but not without its rewards. Being a commissioned officer in Army aviation also means that you are a leader first, with your primary responsibility being the care and training of the soldiers you lead, being a proficient aviator is a very close second. The unit I belong to has been good to me, but at times I have felt as though my gender, and being a minority in that regard has made me an outsider. Currently I am the only female Blackhawk pilot in the state of Ohio and am the senior ranking female in the battalion.” 

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Captain Gahn, bottom right, holding the edge of the flag, served as Commander of Bravo Company, 1-137th Aviation Regiment. (Photo credit: Miranda Gahn) [/caption]




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Sunrise in Kuwait before taking off in the Blackhawk. (Photo credit: Miranda Gahn) [/caption]

Captain Gahn recently returned from a Middle East deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. She is an attorney and Business Program Manager supporting customer relations at GE Aviation, manufacturer of the T-700 engine used in the Blackhawk and Apache helicopters. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400.0"] More than just a pilot, Miranda Gahn is a devoted wife and mom!        (Photo credit: Miranda Gahn) [/caption]

Of the WASP, Gahn says, “The women who served in the WASP, are extraordinary women, I'm deeply humbled by their bravery and inspired by their service. I am also thankful for the trail they blazed, making the seemingly impossible, possible, for so many other brave women. I'm not a role model and have never thought of myself as one, but maybe, just maybe, my story along with others might inspire other young women to burn a trail of their own, to set out to accomplish something they never thought possible...I know I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams that I'd be so lucky to fly Blackhawk helicopters for the Army!”

The FlyGirls team believes Captain Gahn is indeed a role model and we know she will inspire young women everywhere to follow in her footsteps!

"I wanted to inspire other kids to really believe in themselves." --Kimberly Anyadike

by Jess Clackum

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600.0"] Pilot Kimberly Anyadike. (Photo: African Leadership Magazine) [/caption]

At the age of 15, Kimberly Anyadike, inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen, along with bravery of previous African American female pilots,  like Bessie Coleman and Mae Jemison, flew a single-engine Cessna cross-country from her hometown of Compton, CA to Newport News, VA.

Anyadike had always been an ambitious child. At age five she told her mother she wanted to be a cardiovascular surgeon. When she was 12, her interest turned to the skies when she attended the Compton-based Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum, which offers aviation lessons in an after-school program for disadvantaged youths, the Los Angeles Times reported. In fact, it was their plane Anyadike flew on her cross-country trip.  The brave teenager came up with the idea for the trip on her own and the Museum's founder, Robert Petgrave, told the L.A. Times. "I told her it was going to be a daunting task, but she just said, 'Put it on. I got big shoulders.'"

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Kimberly Anyadike at age 15 standing in front of her single-engine Cessna during her cross country trip. (Photo: Kimberly Anyadike’s public facebook page) [/caption]

So great was her passion for flying that Anyadike paid for her flight lessons by working many regular jobs and odd jobs while still maintaining an excellent academic scorecard which was a prerequisite to remain in the program.

Along for the historic ride were an adult safety pilot and 87-year-old Levi Thornhill, one of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.

"They left such a great legacy," Anyadike, now 22, said of the U.S. Army Air Corp all-black combat unit. "I had big shoes to fill. ... All they wanted to do was to be patriots for this country. They were told no, that they were stupid, that they didn't have cognitive development to fly planes. They didn't listen. They just did what they wanted to do."

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500.0"] Kimberly Anyadike's emotional meeting with Tuskegee Airman Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Carter (Wheelchair) at Moton Field Tuskegee Alabama. (Photo: Kimberly Anyadike’s public facebook page) [/caption]

About 50 Tuskegee Airmen autographed the young pilot's plane during her journey.

Of her feat, she says, "I wanted to inspire other kids to really believe in themselves." 

Anyadike’s accomplishments don't stop at her trail blazing journey. In Tuskegee, Alabama, July 2 is now marked on the calendar as #KAday and in 2014, Steven Magazine chose Anyadike to be one of five finalist to be featured in their Pretty Amazing spread.  

As to her dreams of being a cardiovascular surgeon, she said, "I have every intention to still be a surgeon. Just one that flies." 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvvTenfamo4&w=560&h=315]

DEAR LT: GRIT IN THREE WAYS YOU DIDN'T EXPECT, AND ONE YOU DID

By Shannon Huffman Polson (aborderlife.com)

Dear LT, 

This week I gave a presentation to a group of business people in Bellevue, Washington about the most important lesson I learned over eight years of service. I talked to them about grit.

A DIFFERENT DEFINITION OF GRIT

Angela Duckworth has defined grit as passion and perseverance toward very long term goals. I think that’s a great start, though it sounds more like endurance to me. My experience was a little— well, grittier, so my definition is, too. Here’s what I’ll offer. Grit is dogged determination in the face of difficult circumstances. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="351.0"] My flight school stick buddy Anders and I in one of the many classes [/caption]

My first note to you talked about grit, but I’ve had a few more thoughts. In eight years, there were three places I needed grit that I didn’t expect it, but there were places it came naturally, too. This is to say that grit is available to you any time. It isn’t some special and elusive characteristic that only other people have. There are times it comes easy, and other times it comes hard. Either way you’ll need it.

GRIT COMES HARD

First for the hard stuff. Early on as a lieutenant, I met and worked for both excellent senior officers and real jerks. It was eye opening as a young woman who had never experienced hostility from someone senior directed at her, and I was blind sighted the first couple of times. When I was still a cadet, one lieutenant colonel looked directly at me and told me what I would never be able to do (turns out he was wrong) and another colonel turned and walked away from me when we were introduced. I learned two things about grit from those experiences. The first is that I’d need grit when people imposed limitations on me. The second is that I’d need grit to avoid internalizing those doubts and limitations myself. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="422.0"] Apache parking space at Glamoc in western Bosnia [/caption]

The third and hardest place I’d need grit, though, was dealing with my own failures. If you’re driven to succeed, and if you’re unprepared, your own failures can take you down. 

When I was stationed in Bosnia, I failed one of my pilots. I knew he hadn’t been feeling well, and asked him if he wanted to fly on our several days trip to Glamoc in the western part of the country. He said he was ok, and he’d do it. We launched, made the cross country flight, and anded. That night the company instructor pilot came to talk to me. 

It turned out the pilot who hadn’t been feeling well was worse. We went to the company headquarters and requested a Medevac.

The company IP came back to talk to me.

“You’ve got to take care of your guys, LT,” he said.

I protested. I knew that leadership was a sacred trust. I knew that taking care of my people was my most important responsibility.

“I asked him how he was doing,” I told the IP. “He said he was OK to fly.”

“Sometimes these guys need you to look out for them when they won’t look out for themselves,” he told me. I knew that he was in some portion correct. That I had failed, and not only failed but failed someone I was in charge of taking care of. I was mortified.

And still, after arranging for the Medevac, I needed to be able to lead my platoon. I had to focus on shooting gunnery. This took more grit than I’d needed before in a way I had never expected.

OK. Enough of that. Now for the good part.

GRIT COMES EASY

If you’re someone who likes to be challenged— and if you’re wearing a uniform, then you are one of these people— there is a place that grit is part of the fun. It is innate for people in the right circumstances, and you can work to create those circumstances. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="421.0"] Flying in mission profile in Bosnia. I took this photo from the front seat of my Apache helicopter. [/caption]

For me that was flying and leading. In the cockpit, I had to focus completely on the task at hand. When I was flying, talking on three radios and multiple frequencies, managing three different sight and targeting systems and navigating, controlling the movement of four to eight helicopters, and employing three different weapons systems, the aircraft demands one hundred percent of your focus. There is no room for doubts or insecurities. I loved it. In the aircraft I wasn’t the female platoon leader or the female company commander, I was just the platoon leader, the company commander. I was, at different times, Aces 16, Blue Max 56, Razorback 06. 

Grit is at the intersection of focus and passion. You’ll need grit, but you don’t have to look hard to find it.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FEAR

This is not to say that everything about the aircraft was easy. There’s no room for fear in the cockpit, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t come at times. I remember a chill when we were strafed with enemy radar in Korea and Bosnia, the chilling focus when the cockpit filled with smoke and we made a hard landing on a midwestern prairie. The key to managing fear is this: when the fear comes, you turn toward it, and fly through it. There is not other way. That will take grit too, and you won’t have time to look for it. There it is a question of doing.

The thing about all of this though is that you have grit inside of you already. You need to be prepared, and you’ll make ample use of it. The way that grit is usually talked about and written about is as though it is always related to something bad, but this isn’t always true. In those places grit comes naturally, it can be fun. It’s part of working through a challenge, and that’s what you’re there to do if you’re wearing the uniform.

More to come next week, LT. Keep up the great work. And remember that no matter what comes, you’ve got grit.

Yours,

Shannon

Jill Meyers, USAF veteran and President of Women in Aviation, International, San Diego Chapter

by Jess Clackum

Jill's love for aviation began as a little girl. She built model airplanes at a very young age but a flight with a family friend in a Cessna 140 tail dragger at the age of 13 changed her life forever. From that point on she knew she wanted to fly. She used to ride her bike to the local municipal airport for flying lessons and eventually obtained her private pilot's license at the age of 17.

Jill has always been inspired by the WASP. They were a tremendous influence in her life:

"I knew about the WASP back then and was particularly enamored with Jackie Cochran. I was so impressed with her goal to build a training program for all of the interested ladies, not just selfishly getting herself up in the air. And she was the first woman to break the sound barrier! How cool is that? Knowing how hard these women fought just to fulfill their passion for flying, and to serve their country, was so inspirational to me. Knowing what they accomplished is part of why I decided to join the Air Force at the age of 19, even though I was unable to fly for them due to their rules surrounding female pilots at the time. I was still thrilled to be a member of the Air Force for eight years, supporting the mission and being part of military aviation."

Jill went on to serve 8 years in the USAF as a Computer Systems Programmer/Analyst. Stationed at Sembach Air Base in Germany, where she worked for the United States Air Forces in Europe’s 601st Tactical Control Wing, Jill was solely responsible for the success of NATO’s “Display Determination 1982”, a combined forces exercise with participation from 12 countries.

She also spent time at Offutt AFB as a computer programmer for the 1st Aerospace Communications Group, part of Strategic Air Command (SAC) Headquarters, and as a computer security analyst for the GPS satellite ground control at the 50th Space Wing at Falcon AFS where she ensured continuous up-time for the GPS network.

In the civilian world, Jill has worked for large companies such as Boeing and Raytheon in addition to a few startups, and has a wide range of experience in the development of both piloted and unmanned aircraft systems. She worked on airborne communication systems for Air Force One and the C-32/C-40 Executive VIP aircraft fleets; managed the systems engineering department at Eclipse Aviation to build and FAA certify the Eclipse 500 jet; managed upgrades to the Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) ground segment, and currently manages production of communication and navigation systems for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter jet.

In 2004, she joined Women in Aviation International (WAI) and became part of their outreach efforts to young people. WAI is an international association dedicated to providing networking, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for women striving for challenging careers in aviation and aerospace.

For Jill, who holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, she was excited to give back to her community and help open doors of opportunity. In 2012, she became Founder and President of the first chapter of Women in Aviation, International (WAI) in Philadelphia. She is currently in her second year as Chapter President of the WAI in San Diego.

We thank Jill for her unwavering support of FlyGirls and dedicated service to the security of our country.

Support our WWII Women Aviators: funddreamer.com/campaigns/flygirls

Photos from WAISD's Girls in Aviation Day, San Diego, 2015

USMC Captain Kyleanne Hunter, AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Pilot

by Jess Clackum

Kyleanne Hunter was a United States Marine officer for 10 years, serving as an AH-1W "Super Cobra" attack pilot from 2002-2012 in Iraq and Afghanistan. She was also liaison officer to the U.S. House of Representatives.

"FlyGirls will speak to all generations, and it’s particularly important to show the younger generations images of women pilots of WWII, with their strength, confidence, and determination”, says Kyleanne.

Currently Kyleanne is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and co-founder of the non-profit, Think Broader.

We salute you Kyleanne!

Major Katie McKnight Moore, U.S. Army (ret.)

"I am a retired US Army Aviator and Major. I am the daughter of a career Air Force Officer/Pilot who started his career in 1942 in the Army Air Corps. He flew 33 missions in B-17s out of England over Europe during WWII. My father's military career began at the same time the WASPs were performing their invaluable and long unheralded service to our country.

Not only did I follow in my father's footsteps as a military pilot but I also followed in the footsteps of those brave women who served as Women Airforce Service Pilots. Unfortunately the history of the WASPs has been overlooked, ignored and minimized since they served. I am so delighted to see the efforts associated with the creation of the scripted mini series Fly Girls-The Forgotten Fliers of WWII. I am proud to be able to contribute to your funding."

B-26 Martin Marauder

The B-26 Martin Marauder. It had several nicknames, including "Widowmaker" and "Flying Coffin", but the ‪#‎WASP‬helped improve this plane. Join @FlyGirlsSeries, Artemis Film Festival, Think Broader @RambaKy & @EdnaDavisWasp for a Live Twitter Conversation about FlyGirls. Use ‪#‎womenkickass‬ to participate between 7-8pm PST. Here's Edna Davis on flying her favorite plane:

"The B-26 was heaven, heaven, heaven! It was a beautiful airplane. It was a hard airplane, a tricky airplane, it was killing all kinds of pilots, but we weren't scared to fly it. We figured they just didn't know what they were doing.

The B-26 had a bad reputation but it proved itself at the end of the war. It had fewer casualties than other planes. It flew like no other airplane."

First missions were in May 1943. Last combat mission was in May 1, 1945.

Due to the B-26's small wings and high loading, the aircraft had a relatively high landing speed of between 120 and 135 mph as well as a stall speed of around 120 mph. These characteristics made it challenging aircraft to fly for inexperienced pilots. Throughout the war, Martin worked to make the aircraft easier to fly, but the landing and stall speeds remained high and the aircraft required a higher standard of training than the B-25 Mitchell. - By Kennedy Hickman, Military History Expert, http://militaryhistory.about.com/…/World-War-Ii-Martin-B-26…

CDR Karen Fine Brasch, USN (ret.)

by Jess Clackum

Meet Karen Fine Brasch, USN CDR, ret. First Female Helicopter Pilot in Her Navy Search & Rescue Squadron, HS-8:

"I wasn't there when the WASPs changed the history of aviation for women, but I was in Navy flight school when women were told they could fly in combat. I joined the Nimitz Battle Group the following year and we made a full deployment with women flying. If I remember correctly, there were about 200 women on board out of about 6000 men. Of those 200, there were 14 women aviators across all of the squadrons.

I was there as the first female pilot in my USN SH-60F/H Search and Rescue/Combat /Search and Rescue/Anti-Submarine Warfare squadron. I was there as one of the first two female flight instructors at a USMC helicopter squadron training the first female UH-1N Huey helicopter pilots (along with training the male aviators).

I was there.

I was there to take advantage of all of the sacrifices and heroic efforts of the WASP. I was one of the many because of the few. Their opportunities became my opportunities. It was an honor and a privilege to fly for the US Navy and I salute all of the women who came before me and all who follow.

Someone once asked me what made me think I could be a Navy pilot? I answered without hesitation, "Because it never occurred to me that I couldn't be..." And that's how I truly felt.

And I owe that to the WASP.

I hope their story gets told."

Photographer Jerry Phan, inspired by the WASP

Jerry sent us photos he took of his friends, some of whom are pilots, the first picture below is of Jerry and Iris Critchell of the WAFS which were merged with the WASP, who still flies!

"I learned about Jackie Cochran and the WASP when I was at studying at Embry-Riddle University. For me, the WASP represent what it means to be given a chance, and then taking that chance and exceeding all expectations. Their story is also about to the right to serve our nation and each other.

My connection to planes and flying is also personal. I lost my fellow pilot and friend, Holly Foster to cancer. I was also diagnosed with cancer and we were there for each other until her passing. My other two good friends that I photographed are Susie, who flies the Air Force C-17, and Jennifer Guetterman who flies the DC-3. Jennifer has aspirations to join the Air Force and I highly respect both of them.

"I hope to inspire people about the WASP through these photos. They are heroes to all of us!"

Yes they are Jerry! Thank you for sharing your inspiration and creativity!

Alex Esguerra, US Navy: FlyGirls fan & supporter

Alex Esguerra is a former PRAN (Aviation Survival Equipment, Airman) of the US Navy, stationed at Barbers Point HI.

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhwrsF1PRPs&w=854&h=480]

"There are a myriad of examples of perseverance, pride of service, honor, courage, and sacrifice that made the ladies of WASP what they are to me today. The WASP did not participate in combat, but that does not make them any less of heroes than their male counterparts. If anything, I see their service as even more heroic considering the low expectations that many in the military had of them because of their gender. Like a male combat unit that manages to win the day despite predictions that they won't, the pilots of WASP hit the challenging situation head on, determined to not go out without giving it their all. And in the end, they shattered the notion that women were not suited for flying military aircraft".

Alex is currently behind "Operation Valiant", with a mission of restoring a BT-13A Valiant for the May, 2016 WASP Reunion at the WASP National Museum at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, TX. What is a BT-13 to the WASP? Between earning their wings, ferrying any one of the over 9,000 trainers built, and providing instruction, every woman of WASP flew the Vultee-made basic trainer. Please visit his GoFundMe page athttp://www.gofundme.com/zy656p8

"It's been more than seventy years after they disbanded, and still, they remain shadowed in relative obscurity. Like the "Rosie The Riveters" who contributed in their own way during that war, the ladies of the WASP deserve to be in the forefront of US history. Thank you for bringing the stories of the Women Airforce Service Pilots to the TV screen."

B-29 Bombers flown by women first

From FlyGirls fan Alex Esquerra...

Of all the planes WASP flew, their experience with the B-29 remains my favorite story. An exceedingly complex aircraft that was rushed into production, it quickly gained a reputation so bad (especially with engine fires) that many male pilots feared training in it. It was only after Paul Tibbets (of "Enola Gay" fame) enlisted the help of two WASPs (Dora Dougherty and Dorothea Moorman) to demo one of the bombers (appropriately dubbed "Ladybird") to apprehensive male instructors and trainees did the boys finally accept B-29 training with gusto (if not having to prove to themselves that no "girl" was going to outfly a man!!! Haha!).

The B-29 would go on to (quite successfully) deliver the war directly to the Japanese home islands... thanks to the contribution of WASP.

Meet Joanne Gaishin, FlyGirls Webmaster & Research Assistant

‪Joanne Gaishin, Senior Master Sergeant, USAFR (Ret.). 

"Meeting a member of the WASP, along with the opportunity to meet you all and to be a part of filming the FlyGirls crowd funding video made my entire 32.5 years of service worth it."
The WASP flew war aircraft and took risks for their country without military benefits and status, etc...it's about time we learn more about the WASP and their sacrifices. 

I feel I can relate to the WASP as I always wanted to fly.  I went in the Air Force wanting/trying to be a military pilot.  Although I didn't become a military pilot, I flew at military aero-clubs and did receive my FAA rated private pilot's license.  So I feel like I would have been right there with the WASP, had I lived in that era. 

I never cared much for ceremonial things, awards being given, the mandatory "attaboy" presentations, or even wearing the dress blues. However, doing so for a member of the WASP, holding her hand for a moment, her feeling honored by us, and the fun of shooting the FlyGirls crowd funding video, has literally made my time worth it. I know most any vet in my circumstance would at least think of it as a highlight if they had been there."