SJAFB Celebrates National Amelia Earhart Day

SJAFB Celebrates National Amelia Earhart Day

Sunday was National Amelia Earhart Day!

Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, non-stop and alone, which she achieved May 21, 1932. This Amelia Earhart Day, SJAFB recognize the life and achievements of one of America’s most beloved pioneers in aviation and all the brave women who have succeeded her.

The female F-15E Strike Eagle and KC-46 Pegasus pilots at Seymour Johnson AFB continue to follow in Earhart’s historic footsteps.

U.S. Air Force reserve Capt. Kristin “Nikki” Bodie is a 77th Air Refueling Squadron KC-46 pilot here. Full time, she flies the Airbus 320 as a first officer with American Airlines. Prior to joining the military, Bodie gained her commercial pilots license and flew a Cessna 172 all over the country by herself on aerial survey missions.

“That taught me a lot about myself as a person and as a pilot,” said Bodie, a Saluda, SC, native. “I was a brand new baby pilot, out there traveling the country by myself with nothing but my suitcase and this tiny little airplane. It put me out of my comfort zone and made me more confident.”

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