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Meet the First Female U.S. Pilot to Fly the F-35 Lightning II Jet

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Lt. Col. Christine Mau, 33rd Operations Group deputy commander, puts on her helmet before taking her first flight in the F-35A on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Lt. Col. Christine Mau, 33rd Operations Group deputy commander, puts on her helmet before taking her first flight in the F-35A on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., on May 5, 2015.Staff Sgt. Marleah Robertson—33rd Fighter Wing/Public Affairs
By Alexander Smith / NBC News

Meet the first female F-35 fighter jet pilot.

The U.S. Air Force said that Lt. Col. Christine Mau on Tuesday piloted the F-35 Lightning II — a state-of-the-art fighter jet often described as one of the most technologically complex planes ever built.

It said that Mau, 33rd Fighter Wing Operations Group deputy commander, had completed 14 virtual training missions in a flight simulator before taking to the skies from Florida’s Elgin Air Force Base on Tuesday and joining the ranks of 87 other F-35 pilots who’ve trained there.

“It wasn’t until I was taxiing to the runway that it…

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