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What I love about my job is that every day is different // Humans of NATO Days

Major Kristin "Beo" Wolfe completed her final flight as the first female commander of the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team on October 29, 2023, at Orlando Sanford International Airport in Florida, after four years and more than 20 airshows annually all over the world. One of these airshows was the 23rd NATO Days in Ostrava & 14th Czech Air Force Days, where you could see her about a month and a half before her last flight. She was the only female pilot who flew over the Mošnov airport. In addition, she gave visitors the first ever dynamic display of the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II multi-role aircraft at the event. She showed the aircraft which will also be part of the Czech Air Force. Major Kristin "Beo" Wolfe from the USAF F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team told us how she enjoyed NATO Days, what the difference between the F-35 and F-22 is, or what funny things can happen in the cockpit during an air display.

How did you start flying?
I really didn't do any flying before the Air Force, which I joined straight out of college. I've been in the Air Force for over 12 years now. First I had to undergo pilot training, which took about three years, then I flew the F-22 Raptor for three years and since then I have flown the Lightning II.

How does the F-22 and F-35 compare? 
They're honestly very similar, both being fifth-generation stealth fighters which are very different then a fourth-generation aircraft. F-22 and F-35 have very similar tactics to each other. But F-22s are more focused in the air-to-air realm. They carry more missiles internally, whereas the F-35s are more focused in the air to ground.

How do you enjoy the ongoing NATO Days?
I love it. The weather is a lot cooler than in Belgium and Greece where we were on the previous weekends. And it's awesome to see a bunch of partner nations getting together, showing off their aircraft, and getting excited about their militaries. 

How do you compare it to the other shows?
I think every show is different. They have different landscapes, different challenges in the flying room doing the aerobatic demo, but also different crowds. We do about 25 airshows a year, mostly in the US, and then a handful in Europe this year as well.

What does NATO mean to you? 
In sum, it's probably a partnership. It's really powerful to see a lot of countries be like-minded, get together around a common goal, and try to work together to achieve that goal. 

What does your typical working day look like for you? 
It's one of the reasons I joined the military - every day is different. So, a typical day at an airshow will be to get up and go to the morning brief. We get briefed about the weather, all the restrictions that the airshow has, and other things. And then we interact with the crowd. We sell some merchandise at our tents, answer questions, take pictures, and then we go fly our 15-minute routine. That’s my one day at an airshow.

Do you have any funny stories from your flight? 
I don't recall anything extra funny. You never know what's going to happen in a demo. So I think probably the craziest thing that can happen is in the inverted flight. We go upside down, push negative Gs so you never know what's going to come flying out of the bottom of the cockpit. It can be anything like dead bugs, potato chips, and tons of dust. All of my helmet bags and pops go flying. So it just makes it a little more challenging sometimes. 

Something that you would say to someone who wants to become a pilot like you?
Always do well in school and set your goals, but really either get interested in aviation on the civilian side or join the military. On the civilian side, there are a lot of scholarships in aviation out there to help you achieve your goals but it's an expensive industry to get involved in. But the military will pay for your schooling as well. So that's been a blessing for me to get my pilot license in the military.