She now flies the F-35B Lightning II aircraft aboard the ship, making her an essential asset to three branches of the U.S. Ziebart is now an Air Force exchange pilot flying with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 Green Knights, reinforcing Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6). Her fighter pilot dreams would take her much farther than she realized. “I was able to go over there and put my name-tag next to his and get a picture,” said Ziebart.

Ziebart said it was a special moment receiving her first orders to the same fighter assignment in Korea her father had 30 years before her and she remembered the moment when she found her father’s name-tag on display at Kunsan. She went on to fly the F-16C with the 80th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, Korea. There, she was officially selected as a fighter pilot and chosen to fly the F-16 Viper, the same aircraft her father flew. She became Detachment 060’s Air Force ROTC Distinguished Graduate and Cadet of the Year, to kick-start her career as a pilot.Īfter graduating, Ziebart was chosen for the Euro-NATO Joint Jet pilot training program at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. I always knew that I wanted to serve my country in some way and based on their stories, flying jets didn’t seem like a bad way to do it.”Īs she grew older, Ziebart continued towards her childhood goal.ĭuring her time at the University of Southern California, she joined the ROTC program. My parents both taught me that I could be and do anything that I wanted if I worked hard enough. “I always knew I wanted to be a fighter pilot, so I worked really hard to set myself up for that goal. “Before college I was really dedicated to school and sports,” said Ziebart. Her parents took her to an Air Force Academy football game where she first watched the Thunderbirds fly over the stadium, that moment would become a significant memory and helped fuel her passion for flying which, combined with inspiration from her parents, cemented her decision to become a pilot. Her positive outlook and determination inspired me throughout my Air Force journey and her experiences taught me that gender doesn’t matter in the cockpit.” “She never let the attitude of men-thinking-women-didn’t-belong-as-pilots deter her. “I absolutely look up to her,” said Ziebart. After pilot training, she became an instructor for the T-37 and later went on to fly the KC-135. Her mother was in the first graduating class of women at the Air Force Academy an essential asset to paving the way for women in military aviation. Her father was an F-16 pilot with the 35th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, Korea. It was Ziebart’s parents who inspired her from a very young age, both of whom were fighter pilots. “Being a single-seat fighter pilot is incredibly rewarding and confidence-building because it’s only you in that jet and you’re trusted to figure it out when things go wrong.”īecoming a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force has been something of a family tradition. Melanie Ziebart, a pilot assigned to Yokota Air Force Base. PHILIPPINE SEA - “When I get into the cockpit, it’s like the world shuts off around me and the only thing that matters is the mission,” said Air Force Capt.

Marine corps fighter pilot