First woman pilot joins the Red Arrows

Kudos to Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Moore, who has become the first woman to join the Red Arrows (an RAF display team), reports the Mail.

She had already distinguished herself as one of only ten women fast jet pilots in the RAF.

Now Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Moore has won an even greater honour – the first woman to join the Red Arrows.

The 31-year-old redhead was chosen ahead of dozens of male hopefuls to gain a place on the world-famous display team.

She was told the news yesterday as she landed her Tornado jet at a base in Qatar, following a mission in the skies over Iraq.

The RAF has had female pilots since 1991, and female fast jet pilots since 1994. But it is only recently that the first women clocked up enough experience to meet the strict criteria for applying to the Red Arrows.