Maj. Jacquelyn S. "Jackie" Parker
(CNN) -- When Thumper flies an F-16, she flies solo, acting as pilot, navigator and bombardier.
"Thumper" has flown more than 30 combat missions since the start of the war.
"I actually like it that way, because it gives me the opportunity to be in control of the jet, not have somebody second-guessing the things that I'm doing, and I like that aspect of flying this jet, " she says.
Thumper is the Air Force captain's "call-sign." For security reasons, active-duty pilots use only their call signs for identification.
All female tanker crew flies Afghan mission
The 376th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron flew an all female KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling mission over Afghanistan on January 31.The crew, pictured above, starting from the lower left and moving clockwise, was 1st Lieutenant Alison, navigator, Capt. Heather, pilot and aircraft commander, Capt. Waynetta, co-pilot, and Senior Airman Lyndi, boom operator. Between the four of them, they total almost 4,000 flying hours. The event marked the first all-female crew to fly an air refueling mission into Afghanistan from Ganci.
