First Female F-35 Pilot Based in Vermont

September 15, 2022

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. — A Vermont Air Guard pilot made history this week at 20,000 feet after she became the first woman in the National Guard to pilot an F-35 fighter jet.

Last week, the Air National Guard welcomed 1st lieutenant Kelsey Flannery to their ranks.

Flannery, a 30-year-old former boxing instructor from Kentucky, has been training for three years to pilot the advanced F-35A Lightning, according to the Air National Guard.

She said that after obtaining her pilot’s license, learning to become a fighter pilot was the natural next step for her as a daughter of an Air Force pilot.

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