The Life of a Thunderbird Pilot: Caroline Blaze Jensen Shares Her Story

·1 hr 26 min·5 clips

Retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel Caroline Blaze Jensen flew F-16s and T-38s over 3,500 hours in Iraq and with the Thunderbirds.

Episode 327 of the Pilot to Pilot podcast features host Justin Seams interviewing retired United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Caroline Blaze Jensen. Caroline introduces herself as a former F-16 and T-38 pilot with over 3,500 hours, including combat in Iraq and flying with the Thunderbirds. She currently works as a speaker and author. Caroline recounts her early inspiration from a movie featuring a Stearman biplane at age six and seeing the Thunderbirds at an air show in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She applied to multiple military academies, ultimately attending the Air Force Academy after a gamble with nominations. At the Academy, she flew Schweitzer 233 gliders, accumulating about 120 hours and becoming an instructor. Caroline discusses being among the first 50-75 women to fly fighters in the U.S., inspired by WWII Women Airforce Service Pilots and mentors like General Jeannie Levitt and Nicole Malachowski. She faced adversity, including a high school teacher who failed her paper on becoming a pilot due to gender bias. After pilot training, Caroline became a first assignment instructor pilot in the T-38, then transitioned to the F-16, deploying to Korea and Iraq. In Iraq during the 2007 surge, she flew over 200 combat hours. After leaving active duty, she served in the reserves and was selected for the Thunderbirds, serving for three years. Caroline describes the Thunderbirds' mission as representing the Air Force's pride and professionalism, involving intense flying and public relations. She contrasts combat flying with the Thunderbirds, noting the latter's focus on precision and public engagement. The episode also touches on her experiences with the T-7A Red Hawk experimental aircraft and her role as a mother mentoring her son. Throughout, Caroline emphasizes perseverance, teamwork, and the importance of judging pilots by performance, not gender.

As heard by us

Caroline Blaze Jensen connects check rides, failure, teamwork, and resilience to the demanding life of an aviation professional.

Pilot to Pilot frames Caroline Blaze Jensen's military aviation story around a practical pressure point: how a pilot keeps performing after a check ride, a failure, or a weak area makes the gap visible.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want Caroline Blaze Jensen on check rides, failure, and the kind of resilience aviation keeps asking for?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Pilot to Pilot