Kelly Flinn
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Lieutenant Kelly Flinn, born 23 December 1970, in St. Louis, Missouri, was the first female B-52 pilot, and the subject of a media circus involving sexual discrimination within the United States Air Force. As a youth she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, and ultimately decided to become a pilot after attending Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.
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Academy
On June 29, 1989 Flinn was accepted by both the United States Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy, with nominations from Senator Sam Nunn and Congressman Buddy Darden, choosing to enter the Air Force as a member of the Class of 1993. Considered by her Air Officer Commanding ("AOC") to be one of the top cadets at the academy, Flinn was active in many cadet programs, and was selected for an overseas Operation Air Force program, spending the summer of 1991 at Kunsan Air Force Base (AFB) in Korea. She was further selected during her senior year to participate in an international exchange program with L'École de l'Air (the French Air Force Academy). Eight cadets are selected every year for this program, becoming provisional ambassadors to France, attending L'École de l'Air and participating in its programs. Flinn flew the Cap-10 and received French jump wings, symbolising acceptance as an officer in the French Air Force.
Pilot Training
Flinn entered Undergraduate Pilot Training on January 24, 1994 at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, and later attended water survival training and the Combined Services Support Program at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida. In early 1995, Flinn worked in the Wing Scheduling Office back at Columbus AFB, organizing air show information, as well as coordinating Emergency Procedures Training for NASA. In April 1995, Flinn began B-52 training at Barksdale Air Force Base, in Louisiana, received the highest possible scores on all evaluations (including flight evaluations), and was titled as a distinguished graduate of her class.
Post-Training
Later that October, Flinn was a delegate to the 1995 Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Service conference at Luke Air Force Base, she spoke to several national military leaders, including the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Air Force on policies in the Air Force concerning women in combat.
Missions
Arriving at Minot AFB, North Dakota, in October 1995, Flinn was mission-qualified for the B-52H Stratofortress by December, as the deputy commander, planning and executing all aspects of B-52 operations, including conventional and nuclear combat training. Lt. Flinn participated in various missions, including Hornet's Nest, Global Guardian, Bulwark Bronze, Statex, Green Flag, NORI, and CORI. Selected to demonstrate B-52H power projection capabilites to the Secretary of the Air Force, Lt. Flinn flew on a Global Power long-range airstrike during an international exercise, and participated at air shows at Andrews Air Force Base.
During her deployment to Red Flag, Lt. Flinn was selected as the overall package mission commander, coordinating a strike plan for a multinational group of over 50 aircraft, and was selected as the Minot AFB Company Grade Officer. Afterwards, she was due to become a STAN/EVAL co-pilot, but became grounded after facing military charges of adultery.
Charged
Lt. Flinn faced court-martial on May 20, 1997 for military charges of adultery. Marc Zigo, a soccer coach at Minot AFB, was married to an enlisted woman, but allegedly claimed to be separated or even divorced from her, and secretly had an affair with Flinn, who was also charged with fraternization, lying to Air Force investigators, disobeying an order (to stay away from Zigo), as well as conduct unbecoming an officer.
Flinn's case, due to her high visibility in Air Force recruitment advertisements, as well as the number of her accomplishments during her eight years in the service, drew national attention, eventually creating a media circus. She was allowed to resign from the Air Force to avoid court-martial for charges largely considered sexist, whereas the Air Force faced criticism for giving her an uncharacterized (neutral), rather than dishonorable, discharge. She has since written a book Proud to Be: My Life, The Airforce, The Controversy (ISBN 0756757533, ISBN 0375501096), regarding her experiences.