Blue Angel Amanda Lee

Two remarkable women from Minnesota scored historical firsts in aviation. Amanda Lee grew up in Mounds View. In 2022 she became the first female to fly for the United States Navy's Demonstration Squadron, aka "The Blue Angels." Almost a century earlier, Florence Klingensmith from Moorhead was the first of her gender to fly in the National Air Races.

Besides being pilots, there's a lot of similarities between the two. Neither had aviation as their first career choice. Maintaining airplanes led both to their ultimate careers and they both were air show pilots.

As a teenager, Klingensmith loved fast cars and motorcycles, so she wanted to be a mechanic and race driver. Her mechanical skills led her to fixing airplanes then flying them. She got her license in 1929. By 1931 Florence Klingensmith was flying in airshows and she did 1078 loops in one at Minneapolis.

Lee took a more circuitous route. Her first career ideas included brain surgery or something medical. She was working at UPS to pay for her pre-med courses at the University of Minnesota in Duluth when a co-worker expressed her regret at not having been a U.S. Marine when she had the chance. Not wanting any regrets and seeing an opportunity to serve, Amanda Lee presented herself to a Marine recruiter to be a medic. The recruiter said, "We don't do that. Try next door." Medical care for Marines is provided by Navy personnel.

The Navy had plenty of medical help, so Lee signed up to be an Aviation Electronics Technician thinking, "Being on an aircraft carrier sounded new and exciting." She was good at her job. The Navy recognizes talent when they see it and Amanda Lee was offered the chance to go back to school and become a Naval Officer.

Seaman Lee (Seawoman?) was at the Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach at the time, so she chose the Reserve Officer Training Corps at nearby Old Dominion University and majored in Biochemistry. Thirty-six months later Ensign Lee was off to Pensacola for flight training. Her first operational assignment was the USS Harry S. Truman in 2016. Before joining the Blue Angels, Lieutenant Lee was back at Oceana flying the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

The Navy is a little behind the Air Force where women have been flying for the "Thunderbirds" since 2005, but Navy pilots get to land on aircraft carriers. Amanda Lee has done that over 225 times. Now retired Colonel Nichole Malachowski was the first woman to fly for a United States military demonstration team. Her call sign was "Fifi." Lee's call sign is "Stalin." Much cooler!

Florence Klingensmith entered the 1933 National Air Races flying a Bee Gee, which was probably the fastest airplane of the period. Its only purpose was speed, and the Bee Gee was notoriously unstable. The owner of Klingensmith's Bee Gee was obsessed with winning. The 225 HP motor was replaced with one three times as powerful. That was an ill-advised modification that caused a structural failure and Klingensmith died in the crash.

The Navy is a little more careful about modifying their aircraft. Except for the great paint job and a few other minor changes, F/A-18s flown by the Blue Angels are pretty much "stock." After two years on the air show circuit, Amanda Lee will return to Oceana and sea duty as a Department Head.

"Seaman to Admiral" or STA is what the Navy calls the program that made Amanda Lee an officer in the U.S. Navy. Now a Lieutenant Commander, she only has three more promotions left until she reaches that goal.