You Go, Grrl: Flt Lt Kirsty Moore

Flt Lt Kirsty Moore has become the first female aviator for the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows, the RAF's aerobatic team (the equivalent of the US Air Force's Thunderbirds).

Only the best are successful and the prerequisites include at least one front-line tour of duty as a fast-jet pilot and a minimum of 1,500 flying hours.

Flt Lt Moore joined the RAF in 1998, becoming a Hawk instructor and then Tornado pilot. She is not the first woman to apply for the Red Arrows, but she was the first to be shortlisted and then selected.

"It's totally [exceeded] all my expectations," she said.

There is a great (though non-embeddable) video at the link of an interview with Moore that I highly recommend, in which she talks a bit about how the jets, the air display, being the first woman, and why she joined the RAF. A transcription of that video is provided below.

[H/T to Shaker Gemma.]

Reporter: Now when the Red Arrows fly in formation, there are nine of them, and they all fly these very distinctive red RAF Hawks. Now what's special about the 2010 season is it's the first time that there's a female pilot in the line-up. Kirsty Moore is the lady with the enviable job. Kirsty, we're at the back of the plane here; this is where the smoke comes out of when people see the Red Arrows on display. How does it work?

Kirsty Moore: That's right. Just underneath the jet you can see there the smoke pod, which is full of the diesel fuel and the mixed-up dyes, and then here at the back you've got three pipes, um, that releases the diesel into the hot jet gasses, which is about 5-600 degrees C. That evaporates and produces the smoke.

Reporter: And you can do different colors.

Moore: That's right. We've got red, white, and blue.

Reporter: They're quite small planes, but obviously they're jets; they're quite fast; they can be quick. What speed are you flying at during the display?

Moore: The display's flown at 360 knots for the majority of it, which is actually about 400 miles an hour.

Reporter: So 400 miles an hour, and very close to each other.

Moore: That's right.

Reporter: To give you some idea, all the Red Arrows are lined up on the tarmac here at RAF Scampton, quite close to each other; I probably reckon about 12 feet apart here.

Moore: That's right.

Reporter: How far—how close are you in the actual display?

Moore: The closest in the display is about 6 to 8 feet, which, if you imagine it, is, um, equivalent to me standing just underneath the tailplate of the jet next to us there. So a little bit closer than we would fly in the display.

Reporter: Does it feel close?

Moore: Yes. [laughs] But you get used to it.

[Footage and sounds of planes flying in formation.]

Moore: I was absolutely blown away at being selected to join the Red Arrows, and also to be able to represent the Royal Air Force in the way I'm able to as Red 3. Um, the girl bit on top is that someone was always going to do it sooner or later, and by pure cha—timing, it actually ended up being me.

It's phenomenal. I mean, I've been, um, flying now for four weeks with the Reds and, I have to say, it's totally exceeded all of my expectations and hopes for the job. Um, it's great from a personal point of view; the actual flying is really demanding and challenging, so it's great satisfaction involved in the job. But also the teamwork that's involved, um, is something slightly unique to any other squadron in the Air Force, um, in that we're so close and the way the squadron operates; it's so different. Um, it's just phenomenal. And then the opportunity to get to show this off to the general public, um, throughout the summer, is brilliant.

I think I was 12, 13 years old and I decided I wanted to join the Air Force, um, as air crew. Um, which is, does seem quite young. My father's actually in the Air Force—he was a navigator on Tornado GR1s, as they were in those times—um, and it was really hanging around his squadron in the school holidays when my mum was still at work that inspired me to join this great camaraderie that you get on the squadron—and, seeing the guys planning, I thought it was brilliant and wanted to be part of it.

Reporter: So what does Dad think now?

Moore: [grins hugely] He's pretty proud, yes. Yeah, he doesn't stop talking about me; it's embarrassing.

[Reporter laughs.]