Historic season begins! Blue Angels pilot Amanda Lee takes to the sky.

Alan De Herrera
·4 min read

El CENTRO, California –– Warm desert winds blew calmly out of the west as Navy pilot Lieutenant Amanda Lee climbed into the cockpit of her blue and gold F/A-18E/F Super Hornet on March 11, setting the stage for her historic first public demonstration show as a renowned Blue Angels pilot.

It was a perfect day to fly and a fitting canvas for the first of what will be 62 demonstrations at 32 locations in a history making season long in the making for the beloved Blue Angels.

Lee was selected by the Blues’ team as a fighter jet demonstration pilot along with Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Zimmerman in June 2022, making her the first woman to earn the coveted spot on the team. Both pilots completed an intensive five-month training program under the command of Blues’ new flight leader CDR Alexander Armatas, who joined the team in August 2022.

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“We had an overwhelming number of applicants from all over the globe,” said Capt. Brian Kesselring, the former commanding officer and flight leader of the Blue Angels. “We look forward to passing on the torch, and watching the incredible things this team will accomplish in 2023.”

With a deafening roar of the Super Hornets’ engines, Lee and her teammates soared through the Southern California sky in tight formation, captivating spectators with breathtaking aerobatic maneuvers like the Double Farvel and the Diamond Roll then the jaw-dropping Diamond 360, where the Blues’ aircraft fly as close as 18 inches from wingtip to canopy.

Lee is one of six Navy personnel to join the ranks of the Blue Angels for the 2023 season. In her new role as the Left Wing No. 3 demo pilot, she will further the legacy of female aviators proudly serving in the Navy around the world. For over 55 years, hundreds of women have served with the Blues in a variety of capacities.

Lee, who goes by the call sign “Stalin,” is a native of Mounds View, Minnesota and was assigned to the “Gladiators” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, which is stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

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She enlisted into the Navy in 2007 and was first trained as an aviation electronics technician. In 2013 she reported to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida, to begin training as a Naval Pilot and was later designated as a Naval Aviator in April 2016.

Honing her aviation skills over the next 10 years, Lt. Lee went on to serve two combat deployments aboard USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75) supporting Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), Operation Freedom Sentinel (OFS), and NATO Exercise Trident Juncture. In that time, she accumulated more than 1,400 flight hours and over 225 carrier-arrested landings.

Blues Angels’ pilot Lt. Amanda Lee and her fellow teammates greet spectators after completing their last practice session on March 10th, 2023 prior to the Blues’ first public show the following day at Naval Air Station El Centro, CA.
Blues Angels’ pilot Lt. Amanda Lee and her fellow teammates greet spectators after completing their last practice session on March 10th, 2023 prior to the Blues’ first public show the following day at Naval Air Station El Centro, CA.

Her decorations include four Navy Achievement medals and various personal and unit awards. In 2019 Lee also participated in the first ever all-female flyover honoring retired Navy Capt. Rosemary Mariner, the first woman to fly a tactical fighter jet in the US Navy.

Although Lee is the first fighter jet pilot to fly with the Blues’ squadron, she is actually the second female pilot to fly for the team. Marine Maj. Katie Higgins broke that barrier in 2014 flying the Blues’ C-130 Fat Albert for two seasons.

Lee’s groundbreaking flight on March 11 at Naval Air Facility El Centro kicked-off the start of the teams’ 2023 season with the theme of the show commemorating “50 Years of Women Flying in the Navy.”

“In 2023, we reflect on our Naval Aviation history and pay tribute to all of our women Naval Aviators and all those who have come after them,” a Navy release states. In 1973, the first eight women began flight school in Pensacola, and one year later six of those women –– "The First Six” –– earned their Wings of Gold.

“Today, our women aviators project power from the sea and in every type, model, and series aircraft. They fly and fight in all strike missions, hunt submarines, protect the integrity of our nuclear triad, supply essential cargo and personnel to every corner of the globe, and rescue those in distress at sea and ashore,” the release continued.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Amanda Lee Blue Angels pilot: First female pilot begins 2023 season