Fixed-wing military aviation is now well over a century old, so the number of true 'firsts' that can be accomplished today must be small. Surprising, then, that on 7 July two photos appeared on Twitter of a grinning, flight-suited woman standing in front of a US Navy Boeing T-45 Goshawk alongside the words, "Just my best friend making history'! This, it turned out, was LT(jg) Madeline Swegle, who had just completed the US Navy Tactical Air (Strike) aviator syllabus at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas. In so doing, she became the US Navy's first black female TACAIR pilot. Two days later, US Naval Air Training Command caught up and began to publicise the achievement. Had it not been for Swegle's friend offering congratulations on social media, the 'first' might have escaped attention.
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