For nearly eight decades, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels represented the absolute pinnacle of American military aviation — and for most of that time, the cockpit of a Blue Angels jet was a place no woman had ever sat. That changed in dramatic fashion over the past decade, thanks to two trailblazing women who shattered one of the last glass ceilings in elite military aviation. Here is the full story of the female Blue Angels pilots who made history, inspired millions, and forever changed what it means to be a Blue Angel.
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A Legacy Nearly 80 Years in the Making
The Blue Angels were founded in 1946 by Admiral Chester Nimitz, and for more than 55 years, women served with the squadron in a wide variety of support roles — as flight surgeons, logistics officers, public affairs specialists, and more. But the position of demonstration pilot, the role that puts a name on the side of a blue and gold fighter jet, remained exclusively male for the vast majority of the team’s history.
That began to change in 2014 — and the full story involves not one but two remarkable women whose paths to the Blue Angels were entirely different, and whose contributions to naval aviation history are equally profound.
The First Female Blue Angels Pilot: Major Katie Higgins Cook
Who Is Katie Higgins Cook?
The barrier was broken first by Marine Corps Captain (now Major) Katie Higgins Cook, a third-generation military aviator born on August 27, 1986, in Jacksonville, Florida. Her grandfather served in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam; her father was a Naval Academy graduate. Aviation was in her blood from the very beginning.
Higgins Cook graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2008, earned her wings as a Marine Corps pilot, and went on to fly the C-130 Hercules — eventually deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and to Africa with the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force for contingency operations, including the 2014 evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in South Sudan.
Joining the Blue Angels in 2014
In July 2014, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron announced the selection of Marine Captain Katie Higgins to the 2015 demonstration team — making her the first female pilot in the 68-year history of the Blue Angels. She was just 27 years old at the time of her selection.
Her role was to fly “Fat Albert” — the iconic C-130 Hercules that serves as the opening act of every Blue Angels air show. Fat Albert’s eight-and-a-half-minute performance includes some truly impressive maneuvers in its own right: the “flat path” at 370 miles per hour at only 40 feet of altitude, a “parade pass” at a 60-degree bank angle, and jet-assisted takeoff demonstrations.
Higgins flew Fat Albert on rotation with two other Marine pilots, and her first official Blue Angels demonstration took place in March 2015 at NAF El Centro, California. She flew with the team for two seasons — the 2015 and 2016 air show years.
When questioned by skeptics who suggested she was selected only because of her gender, Higgins Cook was direct in her response. As per multiple interviews, she consistently maintained: “The candidate that is the best fit, gets the job — regardless of gender.”
Her Legacy After the Blue Angels
After her time with the Blue Angels, Katie Higgins Cook continued to serve with distinction. She later commanded Airfield Operations Company, Marine Wing Support Squadron 271, before transitioning to the Marine Corps Reserve, where she served in roles including Joint Operational Planner and supported efforts with the Marine Innovation Unit to integrate cutting-edge technologies for the Corps. She has since become a sought-after speaker on leadership, aviation, and breaking barriers.
The First Female Fighter Jet Demo Pilot: LCDR Amanda “Stalin” Lee
Who Is Amanda Lee?
While Katie Higgins Cook broke the barrier as the first female Blue Angels pilot, the next chapter of history was written by Lieutenant Commander Amanda “Stalin” Lee — the first woman ever to fly as a fighter jet demonstration pilot with the Blue Angels. Her story is one of the most remarkable in modern American military history.
Lee was born around 1986 and grew up in Mounds View, Minnesota, where she attended Irondale High School, competing in ice hockey, soccer, and swimming. She enrolled at the University of Minnesota Duluth and — in a decision that would define the next two decades of her life — enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 2007 while still in college, working part-time at UPS to pay for school.
From Enlisted Sailor to Naval Aviator
Lee began her Navy career as an aviation electronics technician, working on the very F/A-18 jets she would one day fly. Her exceptional performance led to her selection into the Seaman-to-Admiral (STA-21) Commissioning Program, an elite pathway that transforms enlisted sailors into commissioned Navy officers. She earned her commission as an officer and later completed a B.S. in biochemistry from Old Dominion University.
She was designated a naval aviator in April 2016, earning her wings and transitioning into the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet — the same aircraft she had once maintained as an enlisted technician. As she later said of the experience: “I first served as an Enlisted Sailor. I’m humbled to have come full circle, and now fly the very aircraft I used to work on as a maintainer.”
After earning her wings, Lee was deployed twice aboard the USS Harry S. Truman in support of Dynamic Force Employment Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, flying combat missions alongside NATO allies.
A Historic Flyover and the Road to the Blue Angels
In 2019, Lee participated in what would prove to be a defining moment on her path to history. She flew in the first-ever all-female flyover conducted as part of the funeral service for retired Navy Captain Rosemary Mariner — one of the first female Navy jet pilots and the first woman ever to command an operational naval aviation squadron. The symbolism of that mission was not lost on Lee.
Before joining the Blue Angels, Lee also served as an instructor pilot and a single-ship Super Hornet demonstration pilot, developing the precision aerobatic skills that would later make her a Blue Angel. By the time of her selection, she had accumulated more than 1,400 flight hours and over 225 carrier-arrested landings.
Selected as the First Female Fighter Jet Demo Pilot
On July 18, 2022, the Blue Angels announced their 2023 officer selections — and the announcement made national headlines. Among the six new team members was Lt. Amanda Lee, selected as the first female F/A-18E/F demonstration pilot in the Blue Angels’ 76-year history.
As per the Blue Angels’ announcement at the time, then-Commanding Officer Captain Brian Kesselring noted: “We had an overwhelming number of applicants from all over the globe this year. We look forward to training our fantastic new team members, passing on the torch, and watching the incredible things this team will accomplish in 2023.”
Lee joined the team in September 2022, completing a grueling five-month winter training program at Naval Air Facility El Centro, California, under the command of flight leader Commander Alexander Armatas.
Her Blue Angels Career: 2023 and 2024
2023 Season: Lee made her historic debut on March 11, 2023, at NAF El Centro, flying as the #3 Left Wing pilot in the iconic four-aircraft diamond formation. She flew the Blue Angels’ signature maneuvers — including the Diamond 360, where jets pass as close as 18 inches from one another — in front of packed air show crowds across the country. She was cheered as she climbed into her cockpit at shows from Beaufort, South Carolina, to Pensacola, Florida, performing before an estimated 100,000 people at the MCAS Beaufort Airshow alone.
2024 Season: In her second year with the team, Lee advanced to the #4 Slot Pilot position — one of the most demanding roles in the show, requiring the Slot pilot to tuck directly behind the Lead pilot in the diamond formation at extremely close range. She completed the 2024 season as part of the team’s core diamond before her two-year tour concluded at the end of 2024.
The 2024 Documentary
Lee’s journey with the Blue Angels was immortalized on film. The 2024 documentary “The Blue Angels”, produced by Glen Powell and J.J. Abrams and directed by Paul Crowder, was released in IMAX theaters on May 17, 2024, followed by a streaming release on Amazon Prime Video on May 23, 2024. The film captured Lee’s induction, her grueling training under extreme G-forces, and the emotional weight of being the first woman to fly a Blue Angels fighter jet. According to critics, the documentary’s final act centers on Lee’s selection and the transition of leadership — making her story the emotional heart of the film.
Life After the Blue Angels
After completing her two-year Blue Angels tour at the end of 2024, LCDR Amanda Lee returned to the fleet, taking on a role as a department head at VFA-87 and preparing for a deployment aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford — the Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier.
In April 2025, she was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame and honored as a Living Legend of Aviation — a fitting tribute to a career defined by firsts. Over her distinguished career, she has been awarded four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, one Commendation Medal, and a Meritorious Service Medal.
What Amanda Lee Said About Being a Pioneer
Throughout her time with the Blue Angels and beyond, LCDR Lee has consistently spoken about her role as a trailblazer with both humility and directness. Her most-quoted line captures her philosophy perfectly:
“When I come into the ready room, I’m a pilot first, a person second — my gender isn’t really an issue.”
For Lee, the goal was never to be “the female Blue Angel” — it was simply to be the best Blue Angel she could be. Her flight hours, her carrier landings, her combat deployments, and her aerobatic precision spoke louder than any title ever could.
Timeline: Women in Blue Angels History
2007 — Amanda Lee enlists in the U.S. Navy as an aviation electronics technician.
2014 — Marine Corps Captain Katie Higgins is selected as the first female pilot in Blue Angels history, assigned to fly Fat Albert.
2015 — Katie Higgins Cook makes her debut at NAF El Centro, becoming the first woman to fly with the Blue Angels demonstration team.
2016 — Higgins Cook completes her second and final Blue Angels season.
2016 — Amanda Lee is designated a naval aviator after rising through the Seaman-to-Admiral commissioning program.
2019 — Lee participates in the first-ever all-female naval flyover at the funeral of Captain Rosemary Mariner.
2022 — Amanda Lee is selected as the first female F/A-18E/F demonstration pilot in Blue Angels history.
2023 — LCDR Lee makes her historic debut as the #3 Left Wing pilot on March 11 at El Centro, California.
2024 — Lee advances to the #4 Slot Pilot position; the documentary “The Blue Angels” is released on Prime Video featuring her story.
2025 — Lee is inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame as a Living Legend of Aviation.
Why It Matters: The Significance of Female Blue Angels Pilots
The Blue Angels perform approximately 60 shows per year in front of millions of people across the United States. For generations, they have served as one of the most powerful recruitment and inspiration tools the U.S. Navy has — showing young Americans what excellence, precision, and teamwork look like when taken to their absolute limits.
The presence of women in those blue and gold jets carries an outsize symbolic weight. When young girls see a female pilot pulling 7+ Gs in a diamond formation at 400 miles per hour, the message is unmistakable: there is no ceiling, glass or otherwise, that cannot be broken with enough preparation, dedication, and skill.
As the Blue Angels celebrate their 80th anniversary in 2026 — coinciding with America’s 250th birthday — the team’s growing diversity reflects not just progress in military aviation, but the evolving story of American excellence itself.
How to Become a Blue Angels Pilot
The path to the Blue Angels is one of the most demanding in all of aviation. Candidates must:
- Be an active-duty Navy or Marine Corps officer
- Have a minimum of 1,200 tactical jet flight hours
- Have carrier qualification experience (for jet pilots)
- Demonstrate outstanding flight performance, leadership, and character
- Survive an intensive selection process that includes application, observation tours, interviews, and evaluation by the current Blue Angels team
Lee’s path — from enlisted technician to Seaman-to-Admiral commissioning program to naval aviator to Blue Angel — stands as proof that there is more than one road to the cockpit of the world’s most famous flight demonstration team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who was the first female Blue Angels pilot? A: Marine Corps Captain Katie Higgins Cook was the first female pilot in Blue Angels history, joining the team in 2014 and flying “Fat Albert” — the C-130 Hercules support aircraft — during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Q: Who was the first female Blue Angels fighter jet pilot? A: Lieutenant Commander Amanda “Stalin” Lee became the first female F/A-18E/F demonstration jet pilot in Blue Angels history when she was selected in July 2022. She made her debut on March 11, 2023.
Q: What is Amanda Lee’s call sign? A: Amanda Lee’s call sign is “Stalin.”
Q: What position did Amanda Lee fly with the Blue Angels? A: Lee flew as the #3 Left Wing pilot during the 2023 season and advanced to the #4 Slot Pilot during the 2024 season.
Q: Is Amanda Lee still flying with the Blue Angels in 2026? A: No. LCDR Amanda Lee completed her two-year Blue Angels tour at the end of the 2024 season and has returned to the fleet, serving as a department head at VFA-87 and preparing to deploy aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford.
Q: Has any woman flown with the Blue Angels in 2025 or 2026? A: As of June 2026, the Blue Angels have not publicly announced another female demonstration pilot for the 2025 or 2026 seasons. However, the door that Katie Higgins Cook and Amanda Lee opened remains very much ajar.
Q: Where can I watch a documentary about the female Blue Angels pilot? A: The 2024 documentary “The Blue Angels,” available on Amazon Prime Video, features Amanda Lee’s story as a central narrative thread. It was produced by Glen Powell and J.J. Abrams and directed by Paul Crowder.
Q: Where is Amanda Lee now? A: As of 2025–2026, LCDR Amanda Lee has returned to fleet service as a department head at VFA-87. She was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in April 2025 as a Living Legend of Aviation.
The story of female Blue Angels pilots is still being written — drop a comment below and let us know what you think of these history-making aviators, or share this article with someone who needs a little inspiration today!
