A couple of decades ago a similar 'poster child', 1st Lt. Kelly Flinn, was all over Air Force publications and press releases as the first female B-52 pilot.
COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. (AFNS) -- A Columbus student pilot will make history March 31 when she takes the initial step toward becoming the country's first woman pilot to enter B-52 combat crew training.
Following undergraduate pilot training graduation and several weeks of follow-on training, 2nd Lt. Kelly Flinn will enter the formal training unit at the 11th Bomb Squadron, Barksdale AFB, La., to learn to fly the B-52 Stratofortress.
During the recent assignment selection process for UPT class 95-04, Flinn gained national attention when she picked the venerable bomber. Although she was aware there was a possibility she would be the first woman to get a B-52 assignment, it did not factor into her decision.
"There were several aircraft available that had the mission I wanted," she said. "But the B-52 encompassed them all. It's a combat aircraft with a worldwide mission, and it's involved in almost all our defensive and offensive actions."
After talking to several B-52 pilots during the two weeks she had to finalize her decision, Flinn said she realized it was the mission she wanted. "The fact I'm the first is an additional benefit to an already great assignment," she said.
She had an affair with the civilian husband of an enlisted woman in her B-52 squadron. She was counseled more than once in writing to knock it off but she persisted to the point that UCMJ charges were filed. Kelly claimed in her subsequent book that her only mistake was 'to fall in love with the wrong man'. Her family in Atlanta hired a public relations firm and molded her image as the female victim of male chauvinist superiors.
She was facing a court martial at Minot and a media circus ensued.
Sheila Widnall was Secretary of the Air Force and befriended Kelly to help her cut a deal to leave with a general discharge. Unfortunately, several other careers were scuttled by the charges of sexism and bias from what coworkers from the B-52 community have told me.
Years later Kelly is 'a pilot with a major airline' and lives outside of Denver.
Like Kelly Flinn, Capt. Zoe Kotnik is a Zoomie (
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zoomie) with a female Secretary of the Air Force. I doubt things will play out so publicly this time. But, we'll see.