Thunderbird Alumni: Dream of a Lifetime wrote:Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Arctic Warrior becomes Thunderbird
By Tech. Sgt. Mike Edwards
3rd WG/PA
June 12, 2006 -- When a six year-old little girl decided she wanted to become an Air
Force pilot when she grew up, little did she realize that not only would her dreams
come true, but she would also be chosen to fly for one of the world's premier
aircraft demonstration teams.
Fast forward 24 years to the present day and that is just what happened for Capt.
Samantha Weeks, an F-15C pilot from the 12th Fighter Squadron, who was one of just
three pilots recently selected to fly with the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.
"What a great opportunity to serve the Air Force in such a capacity," she said. "I
feel both honored and humbled at the same time."
While some might think pilots might try to volunteer to become a Thunderbird simply
for the prestige, Capt. Weeks says she did it for different reasons.
"The Air Force has given me so much for the past 30 years and I wanted a chance to
give back," she said. "With my dad serving 27 years as an enlisted member in the
maintenance career field, I grew up in the Air Force and the Air Force has been very
good to me. Now I have the opportunity to give back."
While the application process to become a pilot with the Thunderbirds is lengthy, it
is also highly competitive. Pilots interested in applying must submit a package to a
board for review. This year the board selected 10 semi-finalists. From this group,
only five made it to the final round. In the last stage, only three of the five were
selected to be a member of the 2007-2008 Thunderbird Team.
However, getting selected is just the first step; pilots must be able to master the
skills necessary to fly the aircraft used by the Thunderbirds.
The Thunderbirds fly F-16 Viper where Capt Weeks flies the F-15C Eagle.
"One of the biggest differences is that I'm going from a two-engine fighter to a
single-engine fighter" she said. Capt Weeks will also incur two months of training
at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. to transition to fly the F-16, and understand the
basic tactical employment of a different aircraft.
After completing her training at Luke, she will travel to Nellis AFB, Nev. and spend
approximately three months learning the Thunderbirds aerial demonstration show
before starting the 2007 show season in March. "This is a great honor and I am
excited at the chance to fly for the Thunderbirds and represent the men and women in
the Air Force serving all over the world."
Capt. Weeks will be entering as Thunderbird No. 6 and joining the ranks of the first female Thunderbird pilot No. 3, Nicole "Fifi" Malachovski (pictured above). Next year's team will feature two female pilots flying side-by-side on the right wing.
Looking forward to it!
