Wings Over Houston 2006 - What A Day!

Well kids, today I went to my third Wings Over Houston airshow. After all, that's where it all started - where I first had that thought, I wonder what it'd be like to do that.

Well today I had a great time, again. I ran into several people I've met in aviation over the past two years, including a friend who is a pilot for Continental. Long story short, this friend invited me to meet up with him after the show was over and see if we could go get a close-up view of the Thunderbirds' airplanes. So I called him after the show was over and we met up and he introduced me to several of his friends around the old warbirds.

After awhile, one person offered him a ticket to the V.I.P. dinner after the show. My friend asked if he could get a ticket for me too. I was pleasantly surprised and was happy to be invited. As we got to the V.I.P. tent and got our dinner I learned that the Thunderbirds were there also.

This is the first year in its 52-year history that the Thunderbirds have a female pilot; in fact, the first female demonstration pilot on any U.S. military high performance jet team. She is U. S. Air Force Captain, Nicole Malachowski.

Nicole was there at the dinner and so after eating and I went up to see if I could talk to her. She took about 45 minutes to chat with me and a couple people who went with me. I was so impressed with her; what a class act! We had some great one on one conversation. I told her briefly that it was about a year and a half after a house fire took my family that I attended my first airshow. I told her how I wondered what it would be like to do that and that it was the following Monday I began looking for a flight school. She seemed intrigued and touched and reached over to give me a hug. I told her that flying has done a lot for me and she really seemed interested.

She also shared a lot about herself, including that she is currently working on her master's degree in foreign policy and that she admires Condi Rice. She even said she hopes one day that Condi "will decide to come to an airshow and want to meet the chick pilot."

She also related a story about going to Rockford, Illinois for an airshow a couple of months ago. After the Saturday show the team decided to go see a high school football game. They figured they'd just go and cheer for the home team. She said as she watched the game she was impressed with the hometeam's kicker, who's skill and great precision kicks are what won the game; eight points by the kicker. The kicker was a girl.

Nicole said it took her back to herself at 16, and she really admired this young girl, because she noticed that when ever the guys went off the field they all high-fived each other, patted each other on the behind, etc. They all stuck together. But when she went off the field, nobody high-fived her or even paid attention to her. When the game was over and the home team won, they all ran off together, leaving her alone at the other end of the bench. Nicole was impressed; this young girl was doing what she loved to do and just kept doing it, even without her teammates' encouragement.

Nicole is an accomplished fighter pilot, in combat flying an F-15E "Strikeheeler". She is a 1996 graduate of the Air Force Academy and the team’s No. 3 right wing pilot. She told me her husband, also a USAF pilot, was the one who kept encouraging her to try out for the team. She said every time he'd bring it up, she'd say no, she didn't think she'd make the team. Every time he'd email an application, she'd hit 'delete'. Finally, one day she thought, okay, what could it hurt?

She was assigned to RAF Lakenheath’s 494th Fighter Squadron and had just returned from a deployment in Southwest Asia and was on leave when she received the news that she was picked for the 2006 team, making her the first woman Thunderbird.

Captain Malachowski has been to war, shot and killed enemies and has been shot at. But to stand and talk with her face to face, she's as down to earth and friendly as anyone I've ever met.

One of the best things she said during our conversation gave me insight, let me know this admirable woman a little better. "This time I get as a Thunderbird is great, and I know I have a lot of responsibility as the first female Thunderbird. But that does not define who I am."

I got the feeling that they are not allowed to talk religion or politics and I don't know where she stands on either, but when I shared with her about my family the first thing she asked was, "Do you have peace?"

Yes. I do.

The airshow was good, as usual, but getting to meet and spend time with such a fine pilot was a real treat.