“Let’s start the show!”. The excited voice of the American fighter pilot who is just beginning her takeoff can be heard from the loudspeakers at the Tanagra Air Base. A few seconds later, the pilot and team leader of the US F-35A Demonstation team is already in the air.

“I hope everyone enjoys the show. It’s a 15-minute display of air power that I hope everyone will enjoy watching, but also a preparation for the future,” says commentator Kristin “BEO” Wolfe.

But will he manage to get a “taste” of Greece beyond the working days?

The commentator does not reveal her plans, although she does not hide that she expects to see Athens. “We’ll have some free time on Tuesday until we go to the next air show, so we’ll go to Athens to enjoy good foodto enjoy the landscape – touristic things are true – to see some parts of the city” notes “BEO” Wolfe, who puts in her mission planning the “exploring Athens and, yes, the Acropolis!».

What it’s like to be Major Kristin ‘BEO’ Wolfe

How did you decide to become a fighter pilot? “I enlisted in the Air Force when I was in college, graduated with pilot training, and then worked hard in school to graduate at the top of my class and choose which aircraft I wanted to fly. So I finally decided that if it’s to fly fighter jets, to perform exciting tactics, that’s the path for me,” says “BEO” Wolfe, who also describes the experience of flying a complex and sophisticated aircraft.

First in her class, twelve years as an operator, three years as a pilot in the top air superiority fighter F-22 and now an F-35 pilot, the American ace explains the difference between her current prominent and demanding position and a position in war fate.

“This is completely different from being in a combat squadron, a different way of life, a different mission set. But definitely something that gives you a lot of benefits now, you can travel everywhere and show the aircraft” comments the team commander, about her experience in the F-35A Demonstration team.

However, she humbly emphasizes that this position is another mission for her. “All of us do this for two years and then we go back to our normal air force life. A new group will come later, who will do exactly what we do. If I’m lucky though…no one will recognize me on the street, which will be nice!” he comments with humor.

F-35: Great computing power but also data fusion

“It’s a very powerful experience most of the time flying the F-35, it’s our newest 5th generation stealth aircraft, it has terrifying capabilities. Obviously most of them are not easy to show at an air show, although we can and do show the public some of the stealthiness of the aircraft, such as where we put our weapons in the internal storage.

It is the moment in the show through the so-called highspeed pass, that you really feel the power, a moment when the “raw” power of the aircraft is perceived, as it flies at a speed of 700 mph. And just to show that raw power of the aircraft and the engine, it’s something very exciting” notes the American USAF pilot.

This particular aircraft is the path in which the Hellenic Air Force will move and the pilot and team commander of the F-35A Demonstation team describes what the Greek pilots will find in their transition on the way to being in the cockpit of a Lightning II, as the fighter is coded.

“So far I haven’t spoken to any Greek pilots who are in the process of transitioning to fly this craft, I hope they are looking forward to having this technology for their transition from the fourth generation to the fifth generation of fighters. It’s a lot of work to make that transition for a pilot, to transition into the new tactics of stealth combat, what (this) mentality of flying and handling is. It will be a process that lasts about two years, a “pain” that will pay off positively. But I believe that when they (including the Greek pilots) will finally rise to the level of the F-35A along with the rest of Europe, this will be a very exciting moment for the Greek air force,” comments the US pilot.

Is the advanced technology provided by a 5th generation fighter something that helps the pilot or gives him more work? “It is absolutely favorable for the pilot. The data is definitely a lot for the pilot at times, so one of the hardest things we teach in school is how a fighter pilot is going to process all that information and make decisions as a single-seat pilot. It’s somewhat different, for example, flying right next to your fellow pilot compared to flying 15 to 20 miles further in an F-35. You have decisions to make and that can sometimes be difficult,” he explains.

As for the most important advantage of this particular aircraft as she would put it, that according to her experience is concealment. “I’d easily put the stealth feature first. It’s what helps us avoid radar detection, get closer to a firing position to drop our bombs, launch our missiles without anyone firing back at us. This is very important.”

In terms of this year’s demonstration schedule for this Demonstation team, Europe is an exciting experience for the team. “It absolutely applies. Anytime we can get out of the United States and show the aircraft to countries that find it exciting to be part of the aircraft program and fly the aircraft, that makes us happy. We thus have the experience of being in a new country and learning about the world. We still have seven shows left this year, three in Europe and four in the United States of America, and then we’ll be done,” explains the American Demo F-35 pilot.