US Air Force marks Women’s History Month with commemorative female-only flights
The all-female flights of the C-17 took place on March 17, 2021, over North Carolina and South Carolina. Credit – US Air Force via Storyful
CHARLESTON, NC – The United States Air Force celebrated Women’s History Month with two all-female flights over North Carolina and South Carolina this week.
The Air Force said in a statement that women from the 437th Airlift Wing and the 315th Airlift Wing from the Charleston Joint Base in South Carolina flew on March 17, along with women from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. , located at Pope Army Airfield in North Carolina.
The C-17 aircraft took off from the Charleston Joint Base and flew to Pope Army Airfield, where it picked up 40 women paratroopers, reported the local news agency WCSC-TV. An air launch had been scheduled as part of the exercise, but it was not due to “inclement weather,” the Air Force told Storyful.
Still, women’s flights served as a celebration of Women’s History Month, which is recognized throughout the month of March in the United States as a time to honor women’s vital role in American history and remarkable achievements in many fields many different.
The all-female flights of the C-17 took place on March 17, 2021, over North Carolina and South Carolina. (Credit: U.S. Air Force via Storyful)
Approximately 20% of US Air Force personnel on active duty are women, according to data compiled in October 2020. This includes 838 female pilots, 375 navigators and 252 air battle managers.
Women began training pilots in 1976, training navigators in 1977 and training fighter pilots in 1993.
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This story was reported from Cincinnati.