Captain Anneliese Satz has made history by completing her training program last June to become the first female F-35B fighter pilot of the United States Marine Corps; she will soon leave to join attack squad 121 in Japan.
In the last four years, Satz, 29, has completed pre-flight training in Pensacola, Florida, first the primary flight in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she learned to fly the T-6 Texan II, then to Meridian, Mississippi , where the T-45C Goshawk advanced jet training plane flew.
After completing her initial training, she was assigned to the 501 Marine Attack Training Squadron, the “Warlords,” to train in her assigned fleet aircraft: the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft of the world.
“In each of my training schools I did my best,” said Satz, a native of Boise, Idaho. “I really believe that being prepared and working diligently are two main keys to success.”
After arriving at MCAS Beaufort in July 2018, she took her first flight on the F-35B in October of that year.
“The first flight on an F-35 is just, ” she said. “The study program prepares you thoroughly for the first time you take off and for each flight after that, it is an exciting experience.”
Satz’s achievement comes 24 years after the Marine Corps had its first female aviator, although it was in 1943, during World War II when a group of women first piloted U.S. Air Force aircraft, forming the so-called Women Air Force Service Pilots, although their function was very different since they only transported and tested airplanes or trained others to free male pilots in combat actions.
On this occasion, Satz, piloting his fighter with the ability to land vertically, will be part of the Green Knights, the 121st Marine Warrior Attack Squadron based in Japan and the first to complete a deployment with F-35B units to aboard a ship of the US Navy.
In a statement issued by the pilot, she thanked her instructors, maintenance managers and all who enriched her with her experience in the study program that included more than 300 hours of flight,
“I am incredibly excited to arrive at VMFA-121 and I hope Looking forward to the opportunity to serve in the Marine Forces of the fleet,” she said.
The F-35B that was assigned to Satz reaches a maximum speed of 1,200 miles per hour (1.6 times the speed of sound), has a combat radius of 833 kilometers and it is estimated that with the integral equipment it can cost about 229 millions of dollars.
Source: Mexicoaerospacial
