Becoming an AF Thunderbird is dream come true for Nevada native

  • Published
  • By Verla D. Davis
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England (USAFENS) --  She was only five years old when she saw an F-4 Phantom fighter jet soar and maneuver through the clouds during an air show. It was then, that she knew she would someday do the same.

Now, 26 years later, Capt. Nicole Malachowski is getting her chance to do just that and making history while she’s at it. The 494th Fighter Squadron C-Flight commander and F-15E instructor pilot here was recently selected to be the first female pilot to fly with as a member of the elite U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds.

A native of Las Vegas, Nev., Captain Malachowski never thought she could be a part of the Thunderbirds.

“My husband was chatting with me one day, and he brought it up,” she said, referring to the first time she thought about applying for the elite Air Force demonstration team. “I thought, ‘Really? I qualify to apply? I could never be a Thunderbird.’”

With reassurance from her husband, Captain Malachowski’s disbelief turned to motivation.

“The Air Force has so many great opportunities out there, and all you have to do is apply,” she said. “It never hurts to try, does it?”

And try she did. Only four to five of applicants are selected to demonstrate their flying abilities and compete for one of the three demonstrations pilot positions which come open each year; Captain Malachowski secured one of the positions and her husband couldn’t be more proud of her.

“She earned this prestigious job with a great work ethic and a constant desire to do the best,” said Maj. Paul Malachowski, 48th Operations Group F-15E Strike Eagle Weapons Systems Officer evaluator here.

Captain Malachowski credits her parents for her focus and courage to follow her dreams.

“(My parents) would often ask me rhetorical questions to get me thinking,” she said. “Questions like, ‘So you’re going to be a fighter pilot? How does one become a fighter pilot?’”

Though they never gave her answers to those questions, it was enough to get her interested in finding out the answers for herself and to increase her desire to fulfill that goal.

While still in high school, her love of flying prompted her to take lessons.

“At the end of the day, I would ride my bike down to North Las Vegas Airport, hang out and make friends with some of the more experienced pilots there. They would take me up for lessons and take me flying,” she said.

As a member of the Nevada Civil Air Patrol, she received a scholarship that paid for flying lessons when most of her peers were learning how to drive.

“(The Civil Air Patrol) paid for lessons all the way through to my solo flight, which happened just about the same time I got my driver’s license,” she said. “The Civil Air Patrol was fantastic to me.”

After high school, the young captain-to-be was accepted to the Naval and Coast Guard academies, but turned them down when she was accepted to the Air Force Academy; a desire she had since elementary school.

“(I knew) by the time I was in the sixth grade I wanted to be a part of it,” she said.

Captain Malachowski continued her love for flying while at the Air Force Academy where she was a cadet glider and instructor pilot for three years.

With more than 1,100 flying hours under her belt, mostly in the F-15E Strike Eagle, her Thunderbird training begins in November, where she will train to fly the Number 3 right-wing position of the diamond formation. The formation consists of four aircraft -- one lead, two slightly behind on either side of the lead, and the final plane sitting in the rear slot.

“We are going to be flying so close at such high speeds together; there is no margin for error at all. We have to have that area of trust,” she said with excitement. " ... I can’t believe that I am going to be a part of that.”

Although Captain Malachowski is an accomplished pilot with more than 200 hours of combat flight time, she said her new challenge will be learning to fly the F-16 Falcon during training at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

“I am not a Thunderbird yet. I have a long road a head of me,” she said. “I’m honored for the awesome opportunity they have provided me here with asking me to become a part of their team. I think I am living proof that ... dreams do come true.”