First woman to command an RAF FJ sqn
 

First woman to command an RAF fast jet squadron named as Wing Commander Nikki Thomas - Telegraph

Well done Wg Cdr Thomas.

Outstanding.

Flew with Nicki several times....outstanding WSO and top girl too.

Congratulations. :D

And a nav as well :ok:

(OK, a WSO)

Well done that lady!

She "Leads The Field"

It's a shame that we still feel the need to mention gender in announcements like this. Notwithstanding my partypooperness, very well done to Nikki and anyone else getting good career news.

Seconded. If gender is no bar to any job, then why is it newsworthy?

Massive story because of the fact she is a women who has cracked it into the top of a mans world. Its like a young talented woman playing for Man Utd. If you pardon the pun.
(Because the so called top end military is a club for a certain male type and everyone, specially civilians, knows this).

Well done 'bird', rightly deserved.

Ivor:D:D:D

How could you not mention gender when that's the reason for the topic? Should it simply be ignored altogether? I'd say it's certainly something to be celebrated. Now it's happened once, it won't be such a big deal in the future, but surely it's worthy of acknowledgement.

So, well done to her.

(I'm pleased to say that twenty five years ago I helped teach the captain of the first of the RAF's all female FJ crew to fly).

Al R's point is good. Still good news. Happy news is always good.

26 year old Wing Commander?! She really is flying!!
:ugh:
Nikki Thomas, the first woman to command an RAF fast jet squadron | Daily Mail Online

Good old Daily Fail does it again.

wow.........so she was 12 when she joined.......that IS impressive!
:ugh:

And that was after graduating with an engineering degree!!

Great callsign.
Monster Seven Three.
Pretty impressive achievement.
Interesting to learn that WSOs command squadrons - as a civilian I didn't know that - assumed it was always a front seater.

Sensible front seaters leave and become airline pilots before any danger of chiselling takes effect. Navs don't have that 'luxury', although with a spot of overtime driving a train is just as lucrative.

Next thing you know the CAS won't be a pilot.

Why, is he changing branch?

There was a bloke flying the Skybus out of Lands End who had been a tube driver and had taken a hefty cut in salary to get into aviation - quite apart from the huge chunk of money to fund his ATPL. Still thought he had made the right move though.

Re newsworthiness - I think this is hugely newsworthy, as was the first female DFC, MC etc. We've just heard about the first female bishop -same sort of thing.

Really, perhaps it's because this is the first and only time!
It's not really though is it?

Al R tries to be a bit of an anti cliche, but is in fact just another cliche.

S-D