The Lady Captain probably said "NO" to the Colonel ...

[dogtag]

The cynic in me suspects he made a suggestion, to
which she said No thanks and promptly got fired.
I'm tempted to make a joke about Cockpits, but I won't.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...two-weeks.html

[blackhawknj]

Conversely, like a lot of military woman she probably got ahead for reasons other than flying ability and leadership capabilities. Can you say "Kara Hultgren" ?

[m1ashooter]

She probably just did something stupid.

[Roadkingtrax]

My first guess would be an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate or enlisted member of the Air Force.

[Sandpebble]

Karen Hultgren

Conversely, like a lot of military woman she probably got ahead for reasons other than flying ability and leadership capabilities. Can you say "Kara Hultgren" ?

I was a US sailor back in the day when there were no women on US ships ... can't deny I always felt that was as it should be.

but my time has passed and now.... yes.... I can say "Kara Hultgren"

In fact I can say Kara Hultgren with pride .... What ever us old farts feel intimidated by... Kara Hultgren was a US veteran who died in service ...

whether she died from enemy fire ... pure accident.... or her own mistake .... makes no difference to me.

she did more than us ...

[blackhawknj]

The Navy admitted that Kara Hultgren should never have become a pilot.

[dogtag]

The Navy admitted that Kara Hultgren should never have become a pilot.

That rings of CYA excuse if ever I heard one.

[Vern Humphrey]

That rings of CYA excuse if ever I heard one.

No, I was actually involved with the investigation of her death. The company I worked for made flight simulators, and they were used to duplicate the conditions of the crash. There were strict orders -- the investigation COULD NOT find "pilot error" unless an experienced pilot could recover from the situation she got herself into WITHOUT using standard recovery procedures.

[dogtag]

No, I was actually involved with the investigation of her death. The company I worked for made flight simulators, and they were used to duplicate the conditions of the crash. There were strict orders -- the investigation COULD NOT find "pilot error" unless an experienced pilot could recover from the situation she got herself into WITHOUT using standard recovery procedures.

My meaning was - if she shouldn't have become a pilot -
then how come she was a pilot ?

[Vern Humphrey]

My meaning was - if she shouldn't have become a pilot -
then how come she was a pilot ?

For the same reason we were told we couldn't find "pilot error" unless an experienced pilot could recover from the situation she got herself into WITHOUT using standard recovery procedures. It would have been politically incorrect.

[blackhawknj]

"How come she was a pilot?" Fixed it for you.

[M1Tommy]

The cynic in me suspects he made a suggestion, to
which she said No thanks and promptly got fired.
I'm tempted to make a joke about Cockpits, but I won't.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...two-weeks.html

She was put into that job with a lot of public fanfare. She would never ever have been dismissed without considerable cause.
Her dismissal is a huge PR headache for the USAF and particularly for that commanding officer. *His* career is now under incredible scrutiny as he never ever wished it to be, from all manner of folks, both inside and outside the USAF.
I have family at that base, enlisted folks. Their attitude is (as expected), "... Eh, whatever, she probably did something stupid, or some thing in her past was found....but probably just did a dumb thing."
Today's USAF is very much, "ONE strike and you are out, or at very least stuck in a hole and certainly will not get in enough to retire." The nit-pickers are incredible, and are the ones who make themselves look good......... far too much like the "business world".

All that said, her being canned from that job will (IMO) be at least an Article 15 matter. If so, or if it a courts martial matter, then it will become public information...... if anyone cares, by then. In the meantime, her, and her CO's (and prob. his family) personal lives will be made miserable by the "news" and by folks who wish gain at their behalf.......

Tommy

[blackhawknj]

One strike and you are out-that's what happens when you have a career military- and not a professional one.

[RED]

Perhaps a better question would be why is an O-3 the commander of such a highly visible, “elite,” unit? It only takes about 3.5 -4 years nowadays for an officer to reach that rank. By the time she had wings, and qualified in the F-16 plus one 2 year tour in a operational squadron she was a O-3 and it is doubtful there were any pilots in the unit that wasn’t at least a captain and probably some majors as well.

Another possibility is that she was given the command because by discrediting her, her seniors could demonstrate that even the best of the female officers are incapable of leadership.

In the Kara Hultgren example, the accident that killed her was the same shortcoming (compressor stalls) in the F-14 that caused several other pilots and planes to crash and burn. But, in her case, the compressor stall that killed her happened only because she was a woman. Maybe she shouldn’t have been there but a lot of other Navy pilots that flew jets off carriers that shouldn’t have been there either.

[Clark Howard]

Politics and PC dictate many decisions made by military commanders. Unfortunately, a poorly conceived decision made in a military environment can, and will, end in death and destruction. Regards, Clark