First Female F-35 Fighter Pilot, Lt. Col. Christine Mau, Announced By Air Force....

Lt. Col. Christine Mau became the first female fighter pilot to fly the Air Force’s newest jet, the F-35 Lightning II, on Tuesday, setting off from Florida’s Eglin base in a plane capable of traveling at speeds in excess of 1,200 miles per hour.

The F-35 is intended to replace the Air Force’s older F-16 and A-10 jets beginning next year, and ahead of Mau’s flight, only 87 male pilots had previously tested the aircraft. A veteran of F-15 Strike Eagle missions in Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Mau nevertheless trained in 14 virtual missions before climbing into the F-35, according to the Daily Mail.
A deputy commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing Operations Group, which is based out of Eglin, Lt. Col. Mau explained that taking the F-35 into the air was a special moment for her.
“It wasn’t until I was taxiing to the runway that it really struck me that I was on my own in the jet,” Mau noted. “It felt great to get airborne. The jet flies like a dream.”