Editor’s Note: When pilot Maj. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe finished F-22 pilot training in 2013, she became the second-generation U.S. Air Force fighter pilot in her family. Trained to fly both the F-22 Raptor and the F-35A Lightning II, she now sets the bar for flying the service’s single-seat stealth combat aircraft as commander of the F-35A Demonstration Team, 388th Fighter Wing based at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Her aerobatics were featured in the service’s “Own The Sky” commercial, which is paired with Top Gun: Maverick in theaters. She recently sat down to chat with FLYING, recalling her first flight in an F-35, what it’s like being a female fighter pilot and how the reality of flying fifth-generation fighters differs from cinematic portrayals. Here are her words, lightly edited for space and clarity.
I flew the [F-22] Raptor first. That airplane’s a little more impressive on takeoff. The first time you take off in those airplanes, it’s you alone in the cockpit. They don’t have any two-seater models. I think flying a really advanced, powerful fighter for the first time, especially by yourself not having an instructor inside with you—they’re actually in another plane, on the radio with you—is a pretty cool experience.
