Pilot makes history as first female F-35 pilot for Air Guard

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WSET) — At 20,000 feet in the sky, history was made as the first female pilot in the Air National Guard flew an F-35A Lightning II plane on her inaugural flight.

It took three years of training for 1st Lt. Kelsey Flannery to reach the achievement, but she had to jump through many more hoops than just training before she could fly.

The process started when she interviewed in 2019 for the 134th Fighter Squadron, or the "Green Mountain Boys." Out of hundreds of applicants, Flannery was a member of the small group selected to continue in the squadron as a new pilot.

“I really wanted to be on the leading edge. I liked the focus it required and I liked the community a lot,” Flannery said. “It’s exciting to get up there, go fast and be able to employ weapons, so that was one of the more appealing parts of it.”

Flannery, a former boxing instructor, was sent to Officer Training School. There she underwent the necessary training to operate the F-35. She said the topic of becoming the first female F-35 pilot was never mentioned in those years.

“There’s definitely been a trail blazed already and I’m really grateful to the women who have done that, but nobody has brought it up and I feel very much like an equal here,” said Flannery. “People just treat me like a wingman and it’s great as it allows me to focus more on flying.”

The 134th squadron, with the history-making addition to its team, will continue as a squadron with an already-long history that Flannery is honored to join.

“The heritage here goes back so many decades and it’s so important that we retain that heritage,” said Flannery. “It’s great to be in the Green Mountain Boys.”