Marshall County resident, Miranda Bray, is making history. Not only is she a pilot in the Air Force, she joins Jeannie Leavitt, Christin Mau, and Kim Campbell to be part of the three percent of female U.S. fighter pilots.
To become an Air Force fighter pilot, it requires a high standard of mission tactics, extraordinary skill, physical fitness and to be a phenomenal leader. Due to Bray’s sacrifice and hard work, she encompasses those traits.
Bray wanted to be a pilot after watching many of her friends and classmates enter the world of flying. She knew that was what her heart was set on to do.
Once in the cockpit, Bray realized she enjoyed the more aggressive tactics that it takes to be a fighter pilot and being a regular pilot would not suffice.
She spent three years going through fighter pilot training before being assigned her first operational assignment. Her training put her in the cockpit of a Cessna DA20, a t-38 Talon, and even in a F-15E Strike Eagle. Bray had to go through some extra training for the F-15E Strike Eagle to learn how to use her aircraft as a weapons system.
She said all the grueling training was worth the big picture at the end.
“There’s a lot of training sorties and grade sheets along the way, but it was all worth it for that first flight without a grade sheet and being able to enjoy the craft that you have finally reached,” Bray said.
According to Bray, the most challenging part of being a female pilot is more than likely the issues that stem from the uniforms; they were designed for men.
“We do fly really long sorties and luckily there are think tanks and groups that are working really hard to bridge the gap,” she said.
Due to these issues, the Air Force is doing a study to make uniform changes to accommodate the increasing number of female pilots. Some changes are modifications to the flight suit and a development of an in-flight bladder relief system. This will allow female aviators the ability to stay hydrated without the concern about how to relieve themselves while in the air.
Bray noted that the typical daily routine for her is showing up three hours early for a combat mission order to complete all necessary flight briefings and routes for the day. That is followed by an hour of ground operations before takeoff. The flight itself can run more than seven hours, then the pilot needs to be debriefed after landing to address any issues that may have occurred during the flight. Then, the team usually grabs dinner.
Bray said the hard work and sacrifice is worth it, not only to be able to fly, but because she has grown so close to her team.
“Being able to be close to the mission and having something exciting to look forward to every day makes it all worth it,” Bray said. “Working with a team of absolute professionals who I can call my family, this community is really special in that we go through unique challenges together and we all support one another to an extreme amount. It doesn’t feel like a huge sacrifice when we get to show up and do something that we love every day.”