For the first time ever, three of the four Air Combat Command single-ship demonstration teams are piloted by women! 🤙🏻
Captain Lindsay M. "MAD" Johnson - Captain Lindsay Johnson is the A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team Pilot and Commander, DavisMonthan AFB, Arizona. She is responsible for showcasing the A-10 Thunderbolt II at over 20 airshows annually around the country, as well as internationally. She is also responsible for leadership of a 10-person team that includes maintenance and public affairs Airmen. She and the team highlight the capabilities of the A-10, as well as pay tribute to Air Force history by flying formation flights with the Heritage Flight Foundation.
Captain Aimee "Rebel" Fiedler - Captain Aimee Fiedler is the United States Air Force F-16 Viper Demonstration Team commander and pilot stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C. As the Viper Demo Team commander, she is responsible for representing Air Combat Command, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense and the United States of America at more than 20 air shows annually.
(you can follow her on Instagram @rebelfiedler16)
Major Kristen "Beo" Wolfe - Major Kristin Wolfe is the Commander, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The mission of the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration team is to showcase the unique aerial capabilities of the Air Force’s most advanced 5th generation multi-role stealth fighter, the F-35A Lightning II, as well as highlight the history of the Air Force’s service through heritage formation flights. Additionally, she provides operational oversight and direction for the 13-personnel team, to include maintenance, aircrew flight equipment, and public affairs Airmen.
(you can follow her on Instagram @beo_f35demo_pilot)
And also a shout-out to the female pilots in the US Air Force Thunderbirds and the US Navy Blue Angels!
Major Lauren “Threat” Schlichting - Major Lauren Schlichting is the Slot Pilot for the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron, flying the No. 4 jet. She earned her commission in 2012 from the University of St. Thomas Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps program where she majored in Mathematics and played lacrosse. Before joining the Thunderbirds, she was an evaluating pilot and executive officer for the 333rd Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. She enjoys hockey, snowboarding, and surviving the Great White North. She has logged more than 2,000 flight hours in the F-15E, F-16, T-38, and T-6 with 420 combat hours. She is in her second season with the team and hails from Stillwater, MN.
(you can follow her on Instagram @afthunderbird4)
Lieutenant Amanda "Stalin" Lee- Lieutenant Amanda Lee is the Left Wing pilot for the United States Navy Blue Angles, flying the No. 3 jet. She is a native of Mounds View, MN and she graduated from Irondale High School in 2004, where she competed in soccer, ice hockey and swimming. While attending the University of Minnesota Duluth, Amanda enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician (AT) and reported to her first command, VFA-136 "Knighthawks." She was selected to commission as a Pilot through the Seaman-to-Admiral (STA-21) commissioning program in 2009. The following year, Lee attended the Naval Science Institute (NSI) for officer training in Newport, Rhode Island, and simultaneously began her studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where she received a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry.
Amanda joined the Blue Angels in September 2022, becoming the first woman to fly in a demo F/A-18E/F Super Hornet with the team. She has accumulated more than 1,400 flight hours and over 225 carrier-arrested landings. Her decorations include four Navy Achievement medals and various personal and unit awards.
