I am inspired to write my first blog after attending the Air Show in Hillsborough, Oregon in order to see the United States Air Force Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds." It was a blisteringly hot afternoon—100 degrees plus on the tarmac but my husband and I rarely pass up an opportunity to see the aerobatic team perform. For sentimental reasons—my husband flew the F-16—and for the visceral thrill of watching the electrifying performance.
The squadron is made up of 120 men and women commanded by the lead pilot. Altogether, there are eight pilots—the six who fly the demonstration, the Operations Officer—the spare, in case of mechanical problems with one of the airplanes or illness and the Advance Pilot-Narrator.
The show in Hillsborough, as always, was an impressive display of precision flying by the dedicated team, including in the number 3 slot, Major Caroline Jensen. A graduate of the Air Force Academy, she has more than 2,500 hours of flying time—200 of which were in combat in the F-16.
I was reminded of the heroine in The Unquiet Heart, Libby Comerford and heartened by the success of women pilots in the armed forces. For more on Major Caroline Jensen, married and the mother of a young son link to Meet the Thunderbirds http://www.aopa.org/sunnfun/2012/120331meet-the-thunderbirds-number-3-pilot.html
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