Katie Higgins earned her Bachelors degree from the Naval Academy, moved on to get her Masters from Georgetown, then became a marine pilot, accruing close to 400 combat hours in Afghanistan, Djibouti, France, Greece, South Sudan, Spain and Uganda. Today, however, Captain Katie Higgins is a Blue Angel.
Last year, Captain Higgins became the first woman ever to perform as a Blue Angel in the squadron’s 69-year history. Higgins flies the Lockheed C-130 Hercules for the Blue Angels, a beast of a turboprop military transport aircraft that they call “Fat Albert.” During performances, Wiggins gets to demonstrate some of the aircraft’s zero-g maneuvers that might be necessary during combat.
The next step in the process, according to some, is getting a female F-18 pilot in the air with the Blue Angels. For comparison’s sake, the Air Force selected the first female fighter pilot for its Thunderbirds flight demonstration team in 2005, joined later by “at least two more” female pilots, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Part of the reason is simply the shortage of women that qualify for the position. Requirements for a Blue Angels pilot include 1,250 flight hours, a demonstrated ability to land on an aircraft carrier, and the willingness to commit to a three-year assignment. Couple that with the fact that only seven percent of the Marine Corps is female… that’s a small group to choose from. In fact, out of 1,637 Hornet and Super Hornet pilots in the Navy, 31 are women, making up less than two percent. The Marines have 451 F/A-18 pilots, only four of which are women.
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“I didn’t come to the team to break any barriers or smash any glass ceilings,” Higgins told the San Diego Union-Tribune. Her priority is to “go out and inspire excellence to the American people. Not everybody needs to join the military, but if everyone tries their hardest and does their best at the profession that they choose, then it’s better for the country and our society, in general,” she said.
Captain Higgins hails from Severna Park, Maryland, though she spent most of her childhood traveling from naval base to naval base, as her father was a military pilot, as well. In fact, he flew the same Hornet jets that the Blue Angels fly today. Higgins left Severna Hills for the Naval Academy after graduating from high school in 2004. She graduated from Annapolis in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, and went on to get her Masters in International Security from Georgetown University before reporting to Naval Air Station Pensacola for aviation indoctrination.
Although she’s passionate about aviation and piloting Fat Albert, her favorite aspect of the position is being able to talk to sailors, Marines, airmen and other soldiers on the ground.
“I get thanked every day for my service,” Higgins said, “but in reality all those ‘thank yous’ need to go to those true heroes.” After being asked about her “celebrity status” as the first woman to fly with the Blue Angels, she responded with “I wouldn’t say I’m a celebrity. No way. I’m a Marine.”
Kudos, Cpt. Higgins. You’re the kind of woman that will make America stronger!
