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Information > Heritage > History Spotlight
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Maj. Nicole Malachowski
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Maj. Nicole Malachowski heritage spotlight graphic (U.S. Air Force graphic).
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Maj. Nicole Malachowski is the first woman pilot on the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron. In 2007, she began her second season flying with the squadron in the No. 3 jet as the right wing pilot in the diamond formation.
Women have served in the Thunderbirds since 1974, just not in a pilot capacity. Of the 130 officers and enlisted personnel on the Thunderbird team, 15 are women. Besides the six demonstration pilots, the Thunderbirds are made up of support personnel from about 25 different career fields.
Major Malachowski first became interested in flying at the age of 5, when she saw an air show in her native Las Vegas. She set her sights on becoming an Air Force pilot and never looked back. She started flying with the Civil Air Patrol when she was 12, and by 16 was doing solo flights.
After high school, she attended the Air Force Academy and graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science major in management and a minor in French. Before joining the team, she served as an F-15E Strike Eagle instructor pilot and flight commander with the 49th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England, including a tour in Iraq. She has flown more than 1,900 hours, with more than 1,700 hours in the F-15E and F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.
She recently was honored by the International Forest of Friendship in Atchison, Kan.
The IFOF is a memorial of trees that stands as a living, growing commemoration of aviation accomplishments worldwide. The forest includes trees from all 50 states and 35 countries around the world where its honorees reside. Forest honorees are chosen for their contributions to all facets of aviation and aerospace. Major Malachowski was recognized alongside fellow pilots such as Charles Lindbergh, Chuck Yeager and Jimmy Doolittle.
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