The Air Force had a big presence at the Air Races this year.  The USAF Thunderbirds performed for big crowds all weekend, including the Air Force's first female fighter pilot.  Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt.  Leavitt broke new ground with her service, but didn't grow up in the air.
"I did not get to fly in an airplane until i was 18 years old," Leavitt said.    "My mom was scared of flying so we never traveled by air;  my first flight in a commercial air liner was when I was 18."
She says she was always fascinated by flying.
"I studied aerospace engineering at the University of Texas and then I met someone who was waiting for pilot training and found at about Air Force ROTC," she said.  "I had no doubt I could be a pilot. I've always been very competitive, I've always worked very hard so I knew  if i put my mind to it, i could do it."
She's a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours with experiences like Operations Southern Watch, Northern Watch, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.Â
"I was not the first pilot - we had lots of women pilots who came before me and paved that path," she said.   "My timing worked out such that initially, I was told no when I asked for the fighter because the policy had not yet changed.  Three months later the Department of Defense policy changed and I was named as the first female fighter pilot for the Air Force.  It was a big press conference in the Pentagon, so it was a little bit crazy as a Second Lieutenant.
These days, she serves as Commander, Air Force Recruiting Service, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.
"From recruiting, our mission is to inspire, engage and recruit the next generation of Airmen," she said.  "And I have amazing recruiters so I enable them and then I get to focus on the inspire, engage portion of the mission. If I inspire a young man or woman to dream big, work hard, and achieve more than they thought possible, I figure it's a win for national security whether they join the military or not."
She says one of her goals is helping to increase pilot diversity.
"We want more women, more minorities to join our force as pilots so there is a concerted effort to reach out and engage," Leavitt said.  "Because so many times you need to see someone who looks like you to say, hey I can do that!   If she did that, I can do that, so I think having those positive role models and having that engagement is very important."
She says one of the best parts of the job is having the chance to talk to people at events like the Air Races.
"I think one of the great things is when we get out there and engage with the American public, they realize we're just like them, we're not different," she said.    "I'm a Mom, I have kids with crazy schedules, and my husband and I juggle our schedules but we make it all work and we love being part of this Air Force team.  "Sometimes people will ask me why I still serve because my pilot commitment ended long ago, but I get to do amazing things with amazing people every day.  I love the mission and I love the sense of purpose."
