Sheppard pilot selected for 2012 Thunderbird demonstration season Published June 9, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Adawn Kelsey 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- A T-38 instructor pilot from the 97th Training Flying Squadron was selected to join the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron Thunderbirds for the 2012 demonstration season June 3. Maj. Caroline Jensen was one of five pilots chosen out of the 36 applicants according to the Air Combat Command announcement. Major Jensen said flying has always been a passion of hers and the Thunderbirds have had a great influence on her career. "I have had the dream of flying since I was a little girl," she said. "When I was 13 my father gave me a model F-16 Thunderbird aircraft and took me to an air show where I saw the Thunderbirds fly. At that point I was extremely motivated to be able to be part of such an elite team." "I began flying the summer of my sophomore year at the Air Force academy," she said. "I started with flying gliders and worked my way up through the F-16 and now I am flying the T-38." The major said throwing her cap in the air as a six-ship flew by with the smoke on during her Air Force Academy graduation was one of the greatest moments. Major Jensen said the application process was long and the existing team members are the ones who decide which pilot is put in each position. "All of the pilots began applying for the Thunderbirds in January," she said. "Then we went through two different week-long interviews where we would go out to meet the team at air shows. During the air shows the team would get to know us and see if we had the type of personality that could be with the team on the road all the time while representing the Air Force well." Major Jensen said she hasn't been able to fly with the team yet but is eager to start practicing. "At some points in the formation I will only be flying 18 inches from the Number 1 jet," she said. "We will fly about 100 sorties to learn how to fly in that close of a formation. At first they will take two aircraft out together and then add another--kind of like a building block program to get to where you are flying with eventually all six. "Team members propose which personality goes best with which position on the team, but ultimately it's the 57th Wing commander, Air Warfare Center commander and finally the Commander of the Air Combat Command who approves the selections. I was picked for third position and I am really looking forward to getting in the red, white and blue airplane and trying out my skills in the diamond formation." The major said her inspiration for being part of the Thunderbirds comes from service members and her family. "There are 700,000 active duty, guard, reserve and civilians in the Air Force and I get to represent all of them to the public, and hopefully recruit other people who want to join the Air Force as well," she said. "I also wanted to be part of this because of the service of my relatives. My grandmother and grandfather served in the Coast Guard during World War II, and my father served in the Marine Corps during Vietnam. Seeing that dedication to service in my family and other people really made me have respect for them."