Katie Higgins Cook | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Marine Captain Higgins in 2015 | |
| Birth name | Katie Ann Johnson |
| Born | (1986-08-27)August 27, 1986 (age 39) Jacksonville, Florida |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Rank | Major |
| Known for | First femaleBlue Angels pilot |
| Spouse | Dusty Cook |
Katie Higgins Cook (néeJohnson) (born August 27, 1986)[1] is an American aviator and officer in theUnited States Marine Corps. In 2015, she became the first femaleBlue Angels pilot,[2] and flew the Blue Angels’C-130 transport planeFat Albert for two seasons.[3] Her first show with the Blue Angels demonstration team was inEl Centro, California, in March 2015.[4] Then known as Marine CaptainKatie Higgins, she made her Blue Angels debut at the age of 28.[5]
Born inJacksonville, Florida,[1] Katie Johnson grew up in a military family that moved frequently, living in places including California and Japan.[5] She is a third-generation pilot.[5] Her father, Bill Johnson, was a 1981 Naval Academy graduate who flew anF/A-18 Hornet in the United States Navy and later worked as an engineer forNorthrop Grumman.[5] She graduated from W. T. Woodson High School inFairfax, Virginia, in 2004.[5]
Higgins completed a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from theUnited States Naval Academy inAnnapolis, Maryland, in 2008.[3][6] Commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, she went on to study international security atGeorgetown University, where she completed a Master of Arts degree in 2009.[6] She has a younger brother who also graduated from the Naval Academy in 2010, and works in explosives.[2][5]
Higgins became a naval aviator withMarine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252.[7] She served in Afghanistan in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom.[6] At age 26, in her first action against theTaliban in 2013, she piloted aKC-130 (call sign "Filth02"), which fired twoHellfire missiles that eliminated an enemy position, saving the lives of a group of Marines.[8] She also deployed to Africa withSpecial Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis-Response in support of contingency operations.[6] By 2015, she had flown nearly 400 combat hours in seven countries.[5][9]
In July 2014, theU.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron announced the selection of Marine Captain Higgins and other officers to the 2015 demonstration team.[7][5] Higgins received repeated comments that the only reason she was selected was because she was a woman, but insisted that with the Blue Angels, "The candidate that is the best fit, gets the job – regardless of gender."[10]
Higgins was in her first Blue Angels demonstration in March 2015.[5] TheC-130 Hercules namedFat Albert, which she piloted on rotation with other Marines, is the opening act of every Blue Angels show lasting eight-and-a-half minutes.[9] The fastest maneuver performed by Fat Albert is called the "flat path", flying at 370 miles per hour at 40 feet.[4] Other maneuvers include the "parade pass", a 300-foot pass at a 60-degree angle, and the "high-pitch climb", a 45-degree climb to 1,200 feet, followed by a steep nose dive that causes weightlessness for passengers in the back of the plane.[9][5]
In 2019 Cook was promoted to the rank of Major and by 2025 was a Lt Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve.[10]
In 2020, Cook made a guest appearance on the 24th season premiere ofThe Bachelor.[11] During the episode, she helped bachelorPeter Weber, a Delta Air Lines pilot, organize a group date, in which he put the female contestants through a flight training program including agyroscope ride.[11]
Major Katie Higgins Cook was recognized inAmerican Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes, an Emmy-winning television special produced by theAmerican Veterans Center and narrated byHarrison Ford.[8]
Katie Higgins married fellow Blue Angels pilot Dusty Cook, whom she first met when they were both atVMGR-252 and started dating after he left the Blue Angels team.[11][12] They live in Texas with their children.[12]
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