Some of the women that participated in the flyover were individually coached by Rosemary Mariner
The U.S. Navy will say goodbye to its first female fighter pilot on February 2 with an all-female flyover.
Rosemary Mariner, a retired captain who served in the Navy from 1973 to 1997, made a number of significant advancements during her career, including becoming one of the first women to receive pilot wings in 1974, becoming the first woman to fly a tactical fighter jet in 1975, and becoming the first woman to command a naval aviation squadron in 1990.
To celebrate Mariner’s accomplishments as well as her efforts as an instructor and guide, particularly to female pilots, both during and after her military career, the U.S. Navy will conduct its first all-female flyover at her funeral on Saturday.
Naval Air Force Atlantic spokesman Cmdr. Dave Hecht told USNI News that the Navy had selected all-female pilots to participate in this flyover, which is a first for the service, as well as one of two ground crew being female. He noted that some of the ladies involved in the flyover had received special mentoring from Mariner.
The following is the U.S. Navy’s statement regarding the flyover for Capt. Rosemary Mariner, a retired officer:
Norfolk, Virginia The U.S. Navy will execute the first-ever all-female flyover this Saturday, February 2, in Maynardville, Tennessee, to celebrate the life and legacy of a female pioneer in naval aviation. The memorial, which is officially known as a “Missing Man Flyover,” will be included in the funeral service for former Navy Captain Rosemary Mariner, who passed away on January 24 after a valiant battle with cancer.
Mariner became the Navy’s first female jet pilot in 1974 after finishing her flight training. She flew the A-4E/L “Skyhawk” and the A-7E “Corsair II” while earning her Wings of Gold. She was also the first female military pilot to hold the position of commander of an active aviation squadron. Mariner oversaw Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron Thirty-Four (VAQ-34) during Operation Desert Storm. She made history in 1982 by being one of the first women to qualify as a Surface Warfare Officer and serve on the USS Lexington, a U.S. Navy vessel.
Captain Mariner left the U.S. Navy in 1997 after accruing over 3,500 flight hours in fifteen different aircraft, performing seventeen shipboard arrested landings, or “traps,” and reaching the rank of Captain.
The Missing Man Flyover is a unique remembrance of the aviators who gave their lives while defending their country. Four airplanes are flying over the funeral service information in the maneuver, and one of the aircraft breaks away from the group and soars vertically into the sky.
The F/A-18E/F “Super Hornets” that will be flown during the flyover are all from squadrons stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana.
Participants include:
LCDR Paige “PUFN” Blok Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32
Oceanography major LCDR Paige “PUFN” Blok earned her diploma from the United States Naval Academy in 2007. In August 2009, she received her Wings of Gold and has experience flying the F/A-18C Hornet and F/A-18F Super Hornet. She has an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as an M.S. in Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering. As a Department Head, she began her service with the Fighting Swordsmen of VFA-32 in January 2019.
CDR Stacy “Stigs” Uttecht Commanding Officer, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32
CDR Stacy “Stigs” Uttecht got her wings of gold in June 2002 after graduating from Virginia Tech in 2000. In addition to the F/A-18F Super Hornet, she has flown the F-14 Tomcat. Over 3,500 hours have been logged by her, 1,220 of which are in combat, and 400 of which include arrested landings. She also served a year-long IA deployment in Afghanistan.
The second woman to lead a F/A-18 squadron, CDR Uttecht assumed command of the Swordsmen in January 2018.
LCDR Jennifer “Cujo” Hesling
With a degree in Aerospace Engineering, LCDR Jennifer “Cujo” Hesling left the United States Naval Academy in 2008. In 2010, she received her Gold Wings. She flew the F/A-18F Super Hornet as a flight instructor and performed 40 combat missions. It is the mother of twin daughters, LCDR Hesling.
LT Christy “Buzz” Talisse Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 211
LT Christy “Buzz” Talisse earned a degree in quantitative economics from the United States Naval Academy in 2013. She recently returned from a deployment with the Fighting Checkmates of VFA-211 aboard the USS HARRY S. TRUMAN in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Dynamic Force Employment.
LCDR Danielle “Purple” Thiriot Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106
LCDR Danielle “Purple” Thiriot earned her Wings of Gold in May 2010 after graduating from Harvard University in 2007. She piloted the F/A-18F and over 25 combat missions while leading the Super Hornet Tactical Demonstration Team, which performed at airshows around the United States and Canada. Thiriot recently finished his assignment as ADM John Richardson’s Flag Aide at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. She will join the Pukin’ Dogs of VFA-143 as a Department Head in March 2019.
LT Amanda “Stalin” Lee Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 81
Born and raised in Mounds View, Minnesota, LT Amanda “Stalin” Lee. She made the decision to serve in the Navy while working at UPS and attending the University of Minnesota in Duluth. She graduated from the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, in 2007. Her selection into the Seaman-to-Admiral (STA-21) Commissioning Program was a result of her successful enlisted career as an aviation electronics technician. Old Dominion University awarded LT Lee a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry; she was commissioned in August 2013. She received the title of Naval Aviator in April 2016 and has just returned from a deployment on board the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), Dynamic Force Employment (DFE), and several exercises with NATO Allies.
LT Emily “Gong” Rixey Strike Fighter Weapons School Atlantic
The United States Naval Academy awarded LT Emily “Gong” Rixey a degree in aerospace engineering in 2012. She is a graduate of the top Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) in the Navy and flies the F/A-18F Super Hornet. She reported to the Strike Fighter Weapons School Atlantic after graduating, and there she is now a Striker Fighter Tactics Instructor.
LT Kelly “Ston’er” Harris Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 213
Brevard College’s Kelly C. Harris, LT, graduated there in 2010. She graduated from Newport, Rhode Island’s Officer Candidate School in October 2013 and was commissioned as a navy aviation officer in March 2016. Harris deployed on the USS George H.W. Bush after being assigned to her first fleet squadron, VFA 213, in December 2017. In support of Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria, she conducted 25 combat missions. LT Harris has completed 100 carriers arrested landings and more than 500 hours of flight time in the F/A-18F.
CDR Leslie “Meat” Mintz Executive Officer, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 213
CDR Leslie “Meat” Mintz earned a B.S. in systems engineering from the University of Virginia in 2000. She is a gold-winged F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot and received her certification in 2002. She has deployed numerous times in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM and has completed training at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). Having flown more than 2,800 hours, CDR Mintz.
Photo by U.S. Navy