Nicole Margaret Ellingwood Malachowski was born on 26 September 1974 and is a retired United States Air Force officer and the first female pilot selected to fly as part of the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds.
19 Facts About Nicole Malachowski
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Nicole Malachowski later became a speaker and advocate on behalf of patients with tick-borne illnesses.
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Nicole Malachowski was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation in 1996.
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Nicole Malachowski spent the 2006 and 2007 air show seasons flying the Number 3 aircraft in the diamond formation.
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Nicole Malachowski was medically retired from the USAF in 2017 after attaining the rank of colonel.
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Nicole Malachowski was born Nicole Ellingwood in Santa Maria, California, to Cathy and Robert Ellingwood.
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Nicole Malachowski started working on her pilot's license before graduating from high school.
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Nicole Malachowski graduated from Western High School in Las Vegas in 1992.
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Nicole Malachowski earned a Bachelor of Science degree in management, with a minor in French, from the United States Air Force Academy, graduating 4th in the class of 1996.
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Nicole Malachowski earned a Master of Arts degree from American Military University in National Security Policy, and a second in National Security and Strategic Studies from the US Naval War College, where she graduated with highest distinction.
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Nicole Malachowski trained at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, with the 4th Fighter Wing on the F-15E Strike Eagle.
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Nicole Malachowski served two operational tours at RAF Lakenheath, England, with the 48th Fighter Wing; assignment to the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson AFB; and as an Air Liaison Officer supporting the 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea.
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Nicole Malachowski applied and was accepted as a Thunderbirds pilot in June 2005.
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Nicole Malachowski completed transition training to the F-16 Fighting Falcon with the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona and flew with the Thunderbird Team based at Nellis AFB, Nevada from November 2005 until November 2007.
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Nicole Malachowski was then selected to participate as a White House Fellow in Washington, DC, from 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009, serving in the General Services Administration with the Presidential Transition Support Team and as deputy chief of staff.
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Nicole Malachowski has been an advocate of recognition of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, America's first women military aviators who served during World War II.
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Nicole Malachowski served as deputy commander of the 4th Operations Support Squadron, 4th Operations Group, until 18 November 2011, when she took command of the 333d Fighter Squadron at Seymour Johnson AFB.
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Nicole Malachowski completed her assignment with the 333d in May 2013 and reported to the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island as a student.
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Nicole Malachowski medically retired in 2017 after serving 21 years because she contracted a tick-borne illness.