German fighter gets first woman pilot

The first-ever woman to pilot a German air force Tornado fighter plane has graduated from the German Air Force Flying Training Center at Holloman Air Force Base.

"I think she is a hero in all of Germany because she is the first female pilot," Senior Master Sgt. Robert Meints, GAFFTC spokesman, said of 2nd Lt. Ulrike Flender.

Meints said stories about the pilot were aired on German television in November and December. She graduated in December.

"She's something kind of like a star in Germany," Meints said.

According to a Holloman Air Force Base press release issued this week, Flender is the first woman to receive the honor. She is now back in Germany for additional training.

Meints said Flender is now becoming acquainted with the air space in Europe, as it is very different from the wide open spaces of southern New Mexico.

Holloman spokesman Arlan Ponder said the U.S. Air Force has female pilots for about every aircraft in the arsenal, and they do fly in combat. He said not many Stealth aircraft pilots are women, but "we do have them."

"The thing that makes (it) so cool for them is that it's a first time," Ponder said of Flender's achievement. "And they all get trained here."

Meints said although Flender is the first woman pilot of German Tornados, Germany has female pilots for other aircraft. He did say there were not many in general, however. For instance, there is only one for the T-160 transport plane, he said. "There will be more, but I think there are not so many."
The Holloman press release states female pilots have become a common sight in the U.S. Air Force. But for the Luftwaffe, Flender's graduation is a new experience and a milestone, with more female pilots expected to fly German aircraft in the future.

Meints said the next woman to become a Tornado pilot, 1st Lt. Nicola Fischer, arrived at the FTC earlier this week.

As for Flender, Meints said she spent six months training at Holloman and will probably serve the rest of her enlistment in Germany, unless she is deployed somewhere else.

In addition to holding the honor of being Germany's first female Tornado pilot, Flender also graduated from the FTC with high marks, according to Meints.

"She got the best academia award," Meints said. "And this academia award was given for best theoretical results during the course."

Meints said the FTC awards a "best prize" to the top students in each Tornado class one for achievement in the more hands-on component of training, and the other for high marks on the academic side.

"She was the best student and got the prize for that," Meints said.

The FTC graduated four student pilots and two weapon system operators in December, according to the news release.

Fonte: Laura London (Alamogordo Daily News)