She dreamed of the sky since age 10: story of Ukraine's only female combat pilot
Source: The New York Times
Details: Kateryna says her desire to fly began in childhood when she first visited an airbase where her father served as an officer. After her first flight on a Mi-8 helicopter at the age of 10, she decided she wanted to become a pilot.
"It was so loud and so scary, but I felt that I wanted to fly it," she said.
At the age of 16, Kateryna enrolled in the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University, where she was the only female student. She remembers a lecturer once asking her: "What are you doing here? This is not for girls. You will not make it".
A female instructor working with helicopter simulators gave her the motivation to keep going.
"She told me not to listen to anyone, and I thought, if she can fly, why can't I?" Kateryna said.
In 2023, she joined the 18th Army Aviation Brigade and began flying combat missions in September 2024. Since then, she has completed more than 30 sorties as co-pilot and navigator aboard a Soviet-designed heavy Mi-8 helicopter.
"In flight, I love everything," she said.
Journalists observed Kateryna as she prepared for a mission. She braids her hair tightly into two plaits so it doesn't get in the way, puts on the male military uniform – since there is no other option – and grabs her tablet used for navigation before stepping outside.
There, she is met by her all-male crew. Together, they discuss the flight route she has prepared – this time, the mission involves three helicopters.
The crews then walk to their helicopters, hidden in the forest to avoid Russian attacks. Kateryna dons her helmet, gets comfortable in her seat and takes off with her commander.
Two helicopters tasked with striking Russian targets fly ahead. Behind them follows a third helicopter, which serves as a kind of relay radio station.
It is this last aircraft that Kateryna pilots. Although it stays behind the others, it is often exposed to greater danger due to flying at a higher altitude.
"I never stress during the flight," she said. "All the heavy thoughts can come before or after. During the flight, my mind is clear."
"I fly and look over my country, thinking how beautiful it is, and then, when we enter the frontline area and I see how everything is destroyed – burned and bombed – the villages, towns, homes and factories, I think: how did we get here in the 21st century?" she reflected.
After completing the mission, the three helicopters returned to their forest clearing.
"Once I hear on the radio that we hit the target – like today – I know the job is done," Kateryna said after she returned. "I feel like, 'phew, great, we completed our task'."
She rarely sees her family but dreams of taking her younger sister for a flight once the war ends.
After missions, Kateryna finds time to relax by watching movies with fellow soldiers.
She has learned to ignore sexist comments and she finds encouragement in the respect shown by other pilots and the trust commanders place in her abilities.
"Possibly, I ruined the stereotype," Kateryna said.
However, she admitted that overcoming prejudice from male commanders and soldiers remains a challenge. Female service members, she noted, are often marginalised in the military and are given fewer assignments than their male counterparts.
"It's like that in any profession when you're a woman – not just in the army," Kateryna added.
Background: Earlier, we reported on how former teacher Nataliia Hrabarchuk shot down a Russian cruise missile with a portable air defence system during a large-scale attack. The Ministry of Defence later honoured her and her fellow defenders with awards.
Read more: Natasha, you got it! The former kindergarten teacher who downed a Russian missile
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