Maj. Nicole Malachowski Speaks at the National Air and Space Museum

The best piece of advice she gave to the audience in the comfy surroundings of the IMAX Theatre at the

National Air and Space Museum?



"Surround yourself with positive people and choose your friends carefully."


Any negative people in your life? Rid your life of them.


Enthusiastic, vivacious and unrelenting in her patriotism, Capt. Nicole Malachowski, 33, described her upbringing and support from family members and teachers in her quest to become a fighter pilot. She gave much credit to her husband and parents, all of whom were present.


Wearing her Air Force uniform adorned with rows of ribbons, she barely mentioned the 180 combat hours she flew in Iraq but, instead, energetically told about her life as a Thunderbird pilot and the selection process which was, after all, what the approximately 250 people came to hear.


When she was 12 her family made a trip to Washington and visited the Air and Space Museum "which changed my life. I consider this 'hallowed ground'."


For a sixth-grade class project she announced to her class she wanted to become a fighter pilot which her teacher denounced since, at the time, female fighter pilots were not authorized. "I wasn't phased" by the teacher, she said.


"It's all about courage, confidence, and taking chances," she said. "If my parents had ever said 'no', I wouldn't be here," she proclaimed proudly.


In high school she joined the Junior ROTC and later, the Civil Air Patrol which she highly recommended to young people. She got her pilot's license at 16 and flew solo. Before she graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1996, Congress changed the law allowing females to fly fighter jets, and she was off to the skies.


While she talked at the museum, still shots and spectacular videos of her Thunderbird experiences played on the IMAX screen behind her. (We were in the pilot's seat with her!) Later this year she'll become a Legislative Fellow on Capitol Hill.


I can't recall the last time I attended a lecture where the crowd gave the speaker a standing ovation but that's what happened at the National Air and Space Museum one Thursday night. Check out its web site for more free lectures presented not only for aviation and military ethusiasts but also, for the plain curious made happy by the achievements of many, especially women. (Maybe some of their cues will rub off.)


The Air and Space Museum is the most visited museum in the world followed by its "cousin", the four-year-old Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport which recently celebrated the arrival of Visitor # 5,000,000.


Some information for this piece is derived from an article in the July 6, 2006 edition of the Stars and Stripes newspaper