In summary, Norway has only trained two female fighter pilots, the last thirty years ago. Now a third woman is studying in the USA. There are no physical limitations for women that prevent them from becoming fighter pilots, according to Colonel Martin Tesli. Marianne Mjelde, the last woman to be trained as a fighter pilot in Norway, believes that there are many myths surrounding the profession that prevent women from applying. Mjelde has himself been a pilot for the F-16 fighter jet for over twenty years and has combined his profession with family life. Another woman is also being trained as a fighter pilot. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Now number three is studying for Norway in the USA. When she completes her training, she will be the first new woman to fly combat aircraft – in over 30 years. – It is very good that more people are coming. There is no reason why women should not fly fighter jets. That’s what Marianne Mjelde says. She has been a pilot for the F-16 fighter plane for over 20 years, and is the last woman to be a trained fighter pilot in this country. It happened in the 90s. No women fly the F-35 in Norway. Men only. This picture is from the main base on Ørlandet. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news Now there is only a short year left before the young Norwegian woman in the USA completes her education. She graduated from the fighter school at Sheppard Air Force Base. Part of what remains is F-35 specification in Arizona. – I am in contact with her and look forward to her coming here, says Mjelde. The woman is being kept anonymous by the Norwegian Armed Forces. – She is a wise and conscious girl who knows exactly what she is doing. A Norwegian woman has graduated from the fighter school at Sheppard Air Force Base, USA. Her identity is being kept secret. Photo: 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs / Sheppard Air Force Base No physical limitations When the woman arrives in Norway, she ends up in Ørlandet at the main airbase for the new F-35 fighter jets. Commander at the base, Colonel Martin Tesli, says there are no physical limitations that prevent women from becoming fighter pilots. – Absolutely not. Women are perhaps even better suited than men for certain tasks, says Tesli. He has no explanation as to why so few are educated. Chief at 132 Luftving on Ørlandet, Martin Tesli, welcomes the newly graduated woman when she has received the specifications for the F-35. His staff will be responsible for the further training of the pilots. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news – For one reason or another, we have not been able to recruit among the girls. Then it is all the more gratifying that there is one coming now, and that there is another one in the works. A fourth woman is also in education. Mjelde believes that there are many myths surrounding the profession of fighter pilot which means that women do not apply. Among other things, that men are better suited, that it is an education that is extra hard and difficult to get through, and that the profession cannot be combined with home and family plans. Marianne Mjelde was the country’s second female fighter pilot. Here she is on board the fighter type F-16. Photo: Atle Mo – I think young women tend to reflect holistically and think long-term. That is why it is very important to communicate that this job can be perfectly combined with most things in life for women, as for men, says Mjelde. – It is a goal that we get even more women to apply for and complete the education, but the most important thing is that the candidates satisfy the requirements that have been set, which are completely independent of gender, says Stian Roen, spokesperson for the Norwegian Air Force. Had milk burst in the air Mjelde has flown the F-16 for two decades, until she was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2012. It put a stop to the flying wings. Now Mjelde leads an operations staff that will ensure that 132 Air Wing fulfills its missions. 132 Air Wing is the Air Force’s department at Ørland air station – a third of the entire Air Force. – After flying school, I thought I would become a helicopter pilot. My focus was saving lives. But my litter encouraged me to choose fighter aircraft instead, says Mjelde. Not for 30 years have new female pilots been trained for combat aircraft. These are Norwegian F-35s waiting to be refueled by tankers in the air. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news She has never considered that it was difficult to be the only woman in the pack. – We are there to solve the same tasks and work as a team. What gender we have is irrelevant. As a fighter pilot, you are in a program where you have to go through a certain amount of training over the course of a year. Mjelde has three children. When one child was ten weeks old, Mjelde was up in the air again. – I remember how good it was to find the breast pump again when we were back on the ground. She did not work full-time, but was at the base a couple of days a week between breastfeeding and family life. Marianne Mjelde is the last trained female fighter pilot in Norway. She hopes some of the myths surrounding the profession will disappear. Photo: Atle Mo Mjelde praises the Norwegian Armed Forces for making good arrangements for the pilots. Regardless of gender. – Men can also break a foot or miss work for many months. Whether the cause is childcare or a broken bone makes no difference. Mjelde indicates that you must be prepared to live at an air base. More both daily commutes from Trondheim and weekly commutes between Ørland and other parts of the country. Two years before Mjelde became a pilot, Mette Grøtteland had become Norway’s very first female fighter pilot. Norway got two female pilots in a short time. But then there was a complete standstill for 30 years. Mette Grøtteland is the first Norwegian woman to become a fighter pilot. The picture is from 1996. Photo: LEHTIKUVA / NTB scanpix Wondering what the Armed Forces are planning. The Military Women’s Network shows that just under 15 percent of military personnel in the Armed Forces are women. – First of all, it is fantastic that we have got a new female fighter pilot. Increased diversity gives increased operational capability, says the head of the Military Women’s Network, Amanda Bergh Schjelderup. She calls for a clear strategy for how to increase the proportion of women. She believes that it is not only within air operations that the armed forces have challenges in recruiting and retaining women. Head of the Military Women’s Network, Amanda Bergh Schjelderup, points out that just under 15 per cent of military personnel in the Norwegian Armed Forces are women. Photo: news – So I hope this will be an inspiration to other young women out there, who see that it is possible to become a fighter pilot on one of the world’s most technically advanced machines if you are motivated for it. The three-dimensional freedom The commander of the air base on Ørlandet is himself a fighter pilot. He has flown with various squadrons in several places in the world. There, it was only natural that there were female fighter pilots. He has also flown with Mjelde. – I have been lucky enough to fly with those we have. Now we need more pilots for the new fighter planes. We need crew at the base. Whether it is men or women has no say. I need people, says Tesli. The F-35 takes off from the combat aircraft base on Ørland. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / news – Being a fighter pilot is about maintaining a high degree of self-discipline and inner motivation, as well as taking responsibility for performing well enough. At the same time that you are constantly working in a team, says Mjelde. She talks about the three-dimensional freedom pilots feel when they take off from one place and can be in a completely different part of the country just a few minutes later. The freedom of speed, range and height. – I feel lucky to have been able to work as a fighter pilot. Not a single woman is a fighter pilot in Norway for the new F-35 fighter jets. Photo: Ingrid Lindgaard Stranden / no
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Norway has not trained a single female fighter pilot in 30 years – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
