Meet the First Female Pilot of the Blue Angels Who Will Fly in the Owensboro Air Show

I remember the first time I ever saw the Blue Angels fly. We were in Pensacola, Florida on a family vacation when I was still really young. Probably first grade, I think. My inital reaction was "Holy moley they are so loud!" and then "How in the world do they do those tricks going so fast?" They were basically superheroes.

Fast forward to the other day when we welcomed this incredible flying squad to Owensboro for the 2024 Air Show. These pilots look so sharp in their jumpsuits and are so tall, confident, and put together. I am always starstruck. Like, I literally forget they are just people and not those superheroes I thought they were as a kid.

That definitely happened yesterday when I met Lieutenant Commander Amanda “Stalin” Lee. The first female pilot in the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron first joined the Blue Angels in September of 2022.

She told me she joined the Navy to pursue her education, earning her degree in biochemistry. Starting out as an aircraft maintainer on the F/A-18 at Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia, she got to see the Blue Angels fly. Like the rest of us, she was seriously impressed, but it wasn't the magic of their airshow that inspired her to join. It was learning about the community outreach of the team along the tour.

When I asked her if she had any advice for young girls wanting to pursue a male-dominated career. She said that she didn't set out to be the first, she set out to be the best. Encouraging young people to work hard no matter what dreams they may have.

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Lee is currently in the #4 Slot Pilot position. Her teammates for the 2024 tour include #1 Flight Leader, Commander Alexander P. “Scribe” Armatas; #2 Right Wing, Lieutenant Commander Jack “Uncle Rico” Keilty; #3 Left Wing, Lieutenant Wes “Trash Blast’Er” Perkins; #5 Lead Solo, Lieutenant Commander Griffin “Push Pop” Stangel; and #6 Opposing Solo, Commander Thomas “Franz” Zimmerman.

You can see them all perform this weekend at the Owensboro Air Show!