Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will nominate Barbara Barrett, a former chair of the Aerospace Corporation, to be secretary of the Air Force.
Barrett, 68, of Paradise Valley, is a certified jet pilot and is the first civilian female pilot to land an F-18 fighter on an aircraft carrier. She is close to Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., a retired Air Force combat pilot.
According to media reports, Barrett would be responsible for the 685,000 active-duty Guard, Reserve and civilian forces. Women were not allowed to fly fighters or bombers in the late 1980s, when Barrett, who had her pilot’s license, served as a civilian advisor to the Secretary of Defense, the Azcentral media outlet reported. A US Navy admiral reportedly asked her if she would try to land an F/A-18 Hornet on an aircraft carrier.
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According to the US-based media reports, Barrett poured at least $140,000 into various campaigns in the 2016 cycle and supported five different Republican presidential candidates, but didn’t donate to Trump’s campaign at that time.