Posted on 02/12/2019 1:18:15 PM PST by Yo-Yo
The United States Air Force has removed Captain Zoe Kotnik, the first women to lead one of the flying force's demonstration teams, after being in the position for just two weeks. Kotnik took the reins of the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team in parallel to a potent media blitz on behalf of the Air Force. The announcement was seen by many as an exciting example of how women are becoming an ever more dominant force within the service's ranks and pilot culture.
You can read all about Kotnik and her rise to such a prominent flying position in this previous piece of ours. Suffice it to say that in a year when the Air Force is set to make a major media splash with the highly anticipated blockbuster action film Captain Marvel, which stars Brie Larson as a superhero that has a fighter pilot past, axing its first female demo team lead is far from convenient.
A posting on the team's highly active Facebook page from the Commander of the 20th Fighter Wing who oversees the team reads:
I removed Capt. Kotnik from her position as the commander of the Viper Demo team yesterday, because I lost confidence in her ability to lead the team.
I know that loss of confidence is a common response from the Air Force, whenever someone is removed from a command position, and I think it’s important to understand why we take this approach.
We have thousands of Airmen across our Air Force serving our country, and not one of them is perfect. As good people, like Capt. Kotnik make mistakes, I want them to have the opportunity to learn from them without being under public scrutiny, and to continue to be a part of this great service. They’ll be better for the experience, and in turn, we’ll be better as an Air Force.
In these types of situations, I never forget that we’re dealing with real human beings, that I care deeply about, and that we are charged to take care of. This will be a difficult time for Capt. Kotnik, but she’s surrounded by wingmen that will help her every step of the way.
It was exciting to have the first female demo team pilot here at Shaw, but I’m also just as excited about the many other females that are serving with great distinction across our Air Force. I’m proud to serve with them, and I’m inspired by them. Even as I speak, another female pilot from the 20th Fighter Wing is flying combat missions in the Middle East.
Maj. Waters, last season’s Viper Demo pilot has resumed command, so the team is in great hands, and the show will go on. We’re looking forward to another amazing season with this team.
Col. Derek O’Malley
Commander, 20th Fighter Wing
It's not all that uncommon for the Air Force to remove people from command, but it is quite rare that something like this occurs after just a matter of days of taking up the new position. We don't know for certain the circumstances surrounding this abrupt dismissal, but it's very likely that we will soon.
The Air Force Academy grad turned F-16 pilot was very active on Instagram, regularly communicating with her tens of thousands of followers, but it appears that she shut down her personal account.
We will update this post as more information comes available.
Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com
Oh, whew, I posted first! You had me worried there for a minute. I thought I double-posted even though I did a search first...
Waters no longer has a web page at Shaw AFB (which makes sense if he moved), but the cached version had him graduating high school in 2003 and finishing his bachelors in 2007, which means he's unlikely to have a son old enough for her to be in trouble for "joking around" with.
Sticking her hand out the plane window to dry her nails.
I haven’t found details. I’m hoping some who knows Maj. Waters will explain who his son is. Either way, someone who knows will talk.
The head of the Thunderbirds was fired about a year ago for getting physically violent with another pilot. That was also called “loss of confidence”.
Excellent! So it wouldn’t seem to involve the kid, and the Instagram thing was just coincidence. Thanks.
Sounds like Wesley Crusher’s graduation, minus the emergency beam-out.
Source/History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Thunderbirds_Indian_Springs_Diamond_Crash
Sorry, I’m calling tht pic “shopped”. The “5” should be upside down. Besides, I doubt they would attempt such a maneuver when neither pilot can see the other plane.
“Maj. Waters, last season’s Viper Demo pilot has resumed command, so the team is in great hands...”
So how did MAJ Waters get removed from command in the first place? Obviously he wasn’t relieved for cause or he wouldn’t have been put back in.
Was he told by his highers to step aside & make room for the first female Viper Demo commander in return for a positive OER, or warned that consequences would follow if he didn’t?
This altogether smells; somebody up the chain will have egg on his/her face over this. Is the female pilot still in Viper Demo flight & do the other pilots feel safe flying in close proximity with her?
How the f&%# and with what do those two maintain separation!!?
Texting while flying shouldn’t be a problem since we are constantly informed that women can obviously multitask, BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN.
That beg the question to THIS comment constantly attributed to the “smartest people in the room : FEMALES:
“NOT TONIGHT DEAR. I HAVE A HEADACHE...”...???...
And I say this as a woman who never has understood this line of an excuse6
Your pic too is “shopped”. The plane’s tails would contact each other.
But maybe I’m the schmuck here and you two knew they were fake and were just having fun.
That was due to a mechanical problem in the lead pilot’s airplane.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Thunderbirds_Indian_Springs_Diamond_Crash
https://jjetspress.com/TBDmishapreport.pdf
Should that take one’s mind OFF the headache, and make things nice-nice, again?
That's on afthunderbirds dot com. Photoshopped?
You sure you still want to claim that?
I have no idea. I'm not a pilot ... much less one of the six(?) best pilots in the USAF.
He’ll if they can TRULY multitask, they should be able to do BOTH, at the VERY same time, with no problem
I’d have a death-grip on that stick; screw the iPhone.
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