Report: Co-Pilot of Black Hawk Helicopter Involved in Midair Collision Was a Woman

Gateway Pundit ^ | January 30, 2025 | Jim Hoft

[Macho MAGA Man]

Fox News obtained exclusive information regarding the crew members aboard the Army helicopter at the time of the accident. The instructor pilot commanding the Black Hawk boasted 1,000 flying hours.

Meanwhile, his co-pilot was a woman with 500 flying hours, considered to be a standard level of experience in aviation circles.

The revelation that the co-pilot was a woman has reignited ongoing debates about gender roles within military operations.

Fox News reported:

[JayNorth]

Oh she was the co pilot so does that mean she was actually in charge of flying the actual pilot was a guy

That's not how it works. You have two qualified pilots, of which one is the Pilot In Command and the other is the Pilot Monitoring. The Captain and First Officer switch roles almost every flight so that their skills stay current. There are times where you require a certain rating to land at a difficult airport, as an example, where only the pilot with that rating would be the PIC.

Others have said it here, but I will say it again: There are plenty of very qualified female pilots in military, commercial and general aviation.

The question for me is the two pilots in the helicopter and how competent they were...assuming that they were the primary cause of this incident.

[Arlis]

My son is a Navy pilot, his wife a Marine pilot - KC-135 tankers.

My father was a pilot, his brother a Navy WWII pilot and later instructor. I was flying planes in right seat next to my dad before I was driving cars, flew hundreds of hours next to my dad over 30+ years.

I’d trust my Marine pilot DIL as equal to any man I know. A grad of Naval Academy, she is incredible.

Am I biased?

No.

[fhillary2]

“Mark Halprien mentioned on his podcast this morning that traffic at Reagan has substantially increased due to Congressmen and Senators pushing for new direct flights to their home states to make their travel time home more convenient.

Kansas Senator Jerry Moran lobbied for this new American Airlines route which has been up and running for a year.”

Xcactly!!!

Perfect Storm.

My Sen., Kaine, was bitching about more flights @ DCA approved last year tonight on Fox w/ BB... IF ATC had proper staffing the collision probably doesn’t happen regardless of the flight load. I’m kinda shocked Kaine didn’t attack 47 with BB! I think Kaine has seen the light?

God Bless 47 for his presser today!
He does not mince words.

[Doctor Congo]

She is a he according to Smercomish, a he that thinks he’s a she.

https://x.com/smerconish/status/1884666071933727040

[SkyDancer]

Yeah, well truth will out. I wait for my NTSB Reporter newsletter to come.

[Stingray51]

However fouled up air traffic control was, to me it sounds crazy to conduct helicopter training flights up and down the river so close and right across the approach to an active runway. And the airport more or less shuts down at 1030 p.m. every night, so why not do the helicopter training later in the night? Or pick a different location.

[lodi90]

I’m shocked an instructor pilot would let that all happen. Busting the altitude restriction is pretty basic stuff.

[freepersup]

Sadly, it happened too fast. In real time. I agree.

[freeandfreezing]

ADSB paths with altitude

Any evidence that the altitude data for the helo is incorrect?

[freepersup]

Just now joining in on the scrum... the 500 hour CREDENTIALS limitation... is a good rule of thumb for aviators.

SKYDIVERS, of which I am one... have about a 200 jump minimal limitation, where-in we recognize that someone with 200 jumps is likely to be both dangerous/bold, to themselves, and to others. LMAO! Pay attention people! WTF!

[Tired of Taxes]

"it sounds crazy to conduct helicopter training flights up and down the river so close and right across the approach to an active runway."

It doesn't make sense to me, either.

[vmpolesov]

http://www.armyaircrews.com/blackhawk.html

Pilot was CW2. IP (not named yet) a captain.

[Tired of Taxes]

"The third person in the helicopter was a crew chief."

Thanks for the info.

[cpdiii]

Some of the best pilots are women and some are not. If the woman was flying the chopper was a woman is irrelevant. If she was flying that chopper due to DEI, it is very relevant.

When I got my twin rating my instructor was a woman of extreme skill. Later she would become a senior training captain for Southwest Airlines. She earned her position on merit. This was many years before DEI.

[MagillaX]

Agree the instructor was fiddling with the radio being somewhat confident she knew what she was doing and just keeping herself current

If the controller notified him I would think he would have assumed control. One question I have is does not the Blackhawk have a collision avoidance system.

[9YearLurker]

Going completely unPC here, could recently beginning hormone therapy affect one’s spacial or other skill in any way?

[af_vet_1981]

Punished a manifesto of sorts 1 day or so before the tragic crash ? ...

Living to Serve, Living as Myself: A Transgender Service Member’s Perspective
January 28, 2025
Jo Ellis

Jo has served 15 years in the Virginia Army National Guard. Her current rank and job title is Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) – UH60 Black Hawk Pilot. She has served in combat zones in Iraq and other operations overseas. She is a transgender woman and recently transitioned while serving in the military. When not serving her country, she works as an IT Engineer in the private sector and previously worked as the Digital Media Manager for Smerconish.com. She enjoys flying airplanes, racing cars, playing musical instruments, and skateboarding.

[Bikkuri]

Ok, I was wrong on the ranks... I thought she was the Capt. (Have never seen a woman WO).

[linMcHlp]

bttt

[Bikkuri]

Oops.. I guess I meant “he” if this story is true).