First. Fast. Fearless - Beyond the Thunderbirds: Caroline "Blaze" Jensen | On Air S2E9

Meet Caroline "Blaze" Jensen, a 1998 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, a retired fighter pilot, and veteran. She is a highly experienced leader, command pilot, instructor pilot and evaluator. During her time in the Air Force, she accumulated over 3,500 hours in Schwitzer 2-33 gliders, Cessna 172, T-37B Tweet, T-38 Talon, and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. She was the first femalereserve officer to fly for the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron (Thunderbirds), and was the first woman qualified to fly in the Air Force’s new jet trainer, the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk. Blaze has worked extensively with leading teams in and out of the cockpit.Her flight experience includes 1,870 hours in the F-16 (200 combat hours) and over 1,500 hours instructing in the T-38 Talon. She fondly remembers flying in the #3 Right Wing position for the Thunderbirds and her time in OPERATION IRAQIFREEDOM supporting US and allied troops on the ground. Outside the cockpit she served as a Legislative Fellow in the Secretary of the Air Force Legislative Liaison Senate office and later for a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. She led flight operations and personnel of the 64th AggressorSquadron and served as Deputy Commander for more than 300 personnel across five geographically separated units working in Space, Space and Weapons Test, Aggressor, and USAF Weapons School missions while in the Air Force. Blaze is a mother to Finn, who has the distinction of being the first child in the U.S. to see his mother fly in an advanced jet aerobatic demonstration. She resides in Las Vegas with her dog, Gunner.  She is a dynamic motivational speaker who inspires others to be "Brilliant Under Pressure" by sharing lessons learned as an F-16 combat pilot and Thunderbird demonstration pilot. 🎧Available on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. 📲Follow us on Spotify: WAI On Air Podcast #WomeninAviationInternational#IamWAI #WeAreWAI #Aviation #Aerospace #WAITogether #WAIOnAir #WAIPodcast#AviationPodcast