vagabond

The U.S. Navy celebrated a historic moment this week as it announced Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle was set to become its first Black female tactical fighter pilot.

Swegle has earned her wings as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot and will receive her "Wings of Gold" in late July, according to a tweet posted on Thursday by the Chief of Naval Air Training.
MORE: Navy videos spark renewed interest in UFOs from enthusiasts and CongressThe Chief of Naval Air Training congratulated Swegle with a "BZ," or "Bravo Zulu," a naval term meaning "well done."

"BZ to Lt. j.g. Madeline Swegle on completing the Tactical Air (Strike) aviator syllabus," wrote the Chief of Naval Air Training. "Swegle is the @USNavy's first known Black female TACAIR pilot and will receive her Wings of Gold later this month. HOOYAH!"


MORE: US General confident Iraqis will ask American troops to remain in IraqThe announcement comes more than four decades after women first received their wings in the Navy. Capt. Rosemary B. Mariner, the first woman to command an operational naval aviation squadron, earned her wings in 1974, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command website.

Brenda Robinson, who earned her wings in 1980, became the first African American female graduate from the Navy's Aviation Officer Candidate School, according to the nonprofit organization Women in Aviation.

Lt j.g. Madeline Swegle, assigned to the Redhawks of Training Squadron (VT) 21 at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, exits a T-45C Goshawk training aircraft after completing her final... more
Lt j.g. Madeline Swegle, assigned to the Redhawks of Training Squadron (VT) 21 at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, exits a T-45C Goshawk training aircraft after completing her final flight of the undergraduate Tactical Air (Strike) pilot training syllabus, July 7, 2020.Anne Owens/U.S. NavySwegle, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is receiving an outpouring of praise and support for her achievement.

"Very proud of LTJG Swegle," wrote Rear Adm. Paula D. Dunn, the Navy's vice chief of information, via Twitter on Thursday. "Go forth and kick butt."

"Congratulations, LTJG Swegle!" tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Saturday. "You make the @USNavy and our country stronger."

Pioneering athlete Billie Jean King, comedian D.L. Hughley, Sen. Kamala Harris and former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly were among those who also congratulated Swegle.

The Navy did not immediately respond to requests for further details on the achievement.

Swegle's achievement comes as Black Lives Matter protests continue nationwide against racial injustice and police brutality, incited by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody on May 25.

badflaps

Sounds good, I hope it's not a Hultgreen.

hydrostream

What a douchey thing to say.

badflaps

I don't think you can wish somebody through F/A 18 school. Too soon, way too much pressure.

rickair7777

Unlikely today. That lesson was learned the hard way, some careers were martyred and some junior officers killed to appease the activist politicians but when the dust settled the politicians quietly decided it was better to let the Navy train people safely than keep killing young people who couldn't know any better.

Frankly I'm surprised she's the first AA female.

rickair7777

Today, no.

But it was sure done at the Tomcat RAG back in the day.

badflaps

I dimly remember a Tomcat guy visiting his folks in Tenn. Low viz take off, dropped it in a few miles away. Ouch!

badflaps

It sure doesn't look good for the Bon Homme Richard. Wasn't that a straight deck fixed wing carrier at one time?

rickair7777

I think that ended one of the NFO-to-pilot transition programs, for whatever reason ex-NFO's had poor safety statistics.

rickair7777

Maybe. Fires happen during shipyard mx periods, but they usually get them under control pretty quickly.

It was purpose-built as an amphib assault ship in the '90's, long after the era of escort carriers.