Lt. Amanda Lee will train with the unit during the winter and is anticipated to join the Blue Angels in the fall.
The renowned Blue Angels aerial display team of the Navy will fly with a female pilot for the first time in its 76-year history.
One of the newest core members of the Blue Angels was introduced by the Navy on Monday as Lt. Amanda Lee.
The Blue Angels have been performing breathtaking aerial displays at air shows, sporting events, and other flight demonstrations since 1946. They serve as a vital community outreach program and U.S. Navy recruiting tool.
Lee, originally from Mounds View, Minnesota, is currently a member of the Gladiators of Strike Fighter Squadron 106, based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach.
She will train with the squadron through the winter after reporting to the Blue Angels in the fall. According to Navy, her debut event would probably take place early in 2019.
During Rosemary Mariner's memorial service in 2019, Lee took part in the first all-female flyover. Rosemary Mariner was a retired captain and one of the Navy's first female pilots. She was also the first woman to command a naval aviation unit.
In an interview that was then made public by the Navy, Lee said, "When I come into the ready room right now, I'm a pilot first, a human second, and my gender really isn't a problem." It's definitely a big honor since people like Capt. Mariner paved the road for us. I am incredibly honored to take part in this flyover in her honor.
According to the Blue Angels' website, there are 17 officers on staff. Each member normally spends two years on the squad. Three women are already on the team: an events coordinator, a flight surgeon, and a public affairs officer.
