Amanda Lee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname | "Stalin" |
| Born | c. 1986 (age 39–40) |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Service years | 2007–present |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Unit | Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 |
| Known for | Blue Angels demonstration pilot |
| Conflicts | Operation Inherent Resolve |
| Awards | Four NavyAchievement Medals |
| Alma mater | Old Dominion University |
Amanda Lee (bornc. 1986) is anaval aviator in theUnited States Navy. She was selected in June 2022 as the first femalefighter jet pilot in the eliteBlue Angelsflight demonstration squadron. Lee made her debut as the Left Wing demo pilot in the number three jet on March 11, 2023, inEl Centro, California, and she then served as the Slot Pilot in the number four jet. She uses thecall sign "Stalin".[1]
Lee is fromMounds View, Minnesota, and in 2004 graduated fromIrondale High School inMinnesota. She competed in many sports while in high school: ice hockey, soccer, and swimming.[2] She attended theUniversity of Minnesota Duluth and enlisted in theUnited States Navy. In 2007 she graduated fromRecruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois.[3] In 2013 she graduated fromOld Dominion University with aB.S. inbiochemistry.[4][5]
After enlisting in the U.S. Navy, Lee served as anaviation electronics technician.[5] In 2013, she became a commissioned officer and started training as a naval pilot atNaval Air Station Pensacola in Florida.[6][1] In 2016 she became a naval aviator.[5] She was then assigned to the aircraft carrierUSS Harry S. Truman to supportOperation Inherent Resolve.[7] As part of her training she successfully completed 225 carrier-arrested landings and 1,400 flight hours.[2] She has fourNavy Achievement Medals and other personal and unit awards.[2]
In July 2022, Lieutenant Lee was announced as the first woman to join theBlue Angels as a demonstration pilot, and as the second woman in the team,[3][8] afterUSMC CaptainKatie Higgins Cook who joined in 2015, flying the C-130 Fat Albert transport plane.
In September 2022 she was assigned to the "Gladiators" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, based atNaval Air Station Oceana in Virginia.[9][1] She flies theF/A-18E and theF/A-18F Super Hornet.[6] Her induction and training as a new Blue Angels pilot was captured in the2024 filmThe Blue Angels.[10][11]
Lee's first performance as the Left Wing demo pilot with the Blue Angels took place on March 11, 2023, inEl Centro, California.[1] She also performed before an estimated 100,000 people at theMCAS Beaufort Airshow on May 22 and 23, 2023. She was cheered at the show on both days as she climbed into the cockpit of her number three aircraft.[12]
Lieutenant Commander Lee was the slot pilot in the Blue Angels #4 jet, during the 2024 season. Her tour with the Blue Angels lasted two years through the end of the 2024 season.[13] She returned to the fleet in late 2024 to serve as a department head atVFA-87, where she was working on the squadron's 2025 deployment aboard the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, theUSS Gerald R. Ford. [14]
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