SEATTLE — Graduating as just the sixth woman from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Eileen A. Bjorkman helped set a flight path for future generations.
Bjorkman, a retired UAF colonel after 30 years of active-duty service, is also an author.
Her recent book, The Fly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat, details the history she saw unfolding.
She was a flight test engineer during her Air Force career, flying more than 700 hours in 25 different types of military aircraft, including fighters such as the F-4 and F-16. She is currently the executive director at the Air Force Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, and is the first woman to hold that position.
On Saturday, Oct. 21, people can attend a special presentation hosted by Bjorkman and Air Force Reserve Captain Peggy Phillips. A book signing will follow. For more details about the 2 p.m. event - click here.
Bjorkman said any young girls or young women interested in aviation or becoming a pilot should "go for it."
The presentation is happening on the heels of a notable anniversary. Thirty years ago in April, Secretary of Defense Les Aspin ordered the military to train women for combat aircraft. The same month, General Merrill McPeak, Chief of Staff of the USAF, introduced the first three women fighter pilots to the public: Lt. Jeannie Flynn, Lt. Martha Mc Sally, and Capt. Sharon Preszler.