Lt. Col. Christine Mau is used to breaking barriers.
Currently serving as the 33rd Fighter Wing Operations Group deputy commander, Mau was one of the pilots to fly in the military’s first ever all-female combat sortie, flying air support missions in Afghanistan. Now, she’s just become the first female F-35 pilot.
Mau was, up until now, an F-15 Strike Eagle pilot. And she spent a lot of time in the simulator to prepare to fly the F-35 Lightning II, doing 14 training missions to get ready for takeoff. The new F-35 program includes pilots from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, as well as several allied nations. While Mau said she was a little nervous at first, she adjusted quickly, saying that the jet flies “like a dream.” As for her role as the first female pilot?
“Flying is a great equalizer,” she said. “The plane doesn’t know or care about your gender as a pilot, nor do the ground troops who need your support. You just have to perform. That’s all anyone cares about when you’re up there — that you can do your job, and that you do it exceptionally well.”
