Let’s Give This a Try and See What Happens

LET’S GIVE THIS A TRY AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS…

Dr. Eileen Bjorkman

By Matt Ferrari

Dr. Eileen Bjorkman didn’t really plan on a career with the Air Force. Although her father was an Air Force officer, growing up as a “military brat,” she never really considered joining. A child of the 1970’s, she found at that time, there were limited opportunities available to female service members.

Dr. Bjorkman was born in Victoria, Texas, but grew up all over, following her father around the country as his military assignments changed. For a while, she lived in Alexandria, Louisiana. Then they moved to Dayton Ohio, then to Phoenix, Arizona, from there down to Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida and then up to Illinois, settling near Scott AFB, where she finished her last year and graduated from high school. About this time, her father retired from the Air Force and moved to Seattle to work for Boeing. She went along with her mom and dad and decided on the University of Washington for college.

At the University of Washington, she began her studies with the intent of earning a degree in aeronautical engineering. After her second year, she decided to switch majors and pursued a degree in computer science. She then worked for a year and realized that she wasn’t really interested in spending the rest of her life programming computers. By chance, she noticed an advertisement that the U.S. Air Force was interviewing for officers on the University of Washington campus. She mulled it over and decided to stop in and talk with them to see what they had to say. She found that a lot had changed within the service and that there were now many more opportunities for women.

In my conversation with her she said, “I wouldn’t say that my decision to join the Air Force was very well thought out. It was more like, let’s give this a try and see what happens.” Well, it seems to have worked out pretty well! She received her commission in 1980 and served for nearly 30 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a colonel. During her military career, she served as a Flight Test Engineer Instructor, as well as a Test Squadron Commander. She was a Senior Non-Rated Aircrew member and flew more than 700 hours as a Flight Test Engineer in over 25 different aircraft including the F-4 Phantom II (her personal favorite!), the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the C-130 Hercules and the C-141 Starlifter. She also held multiple staff and director positions with ever increasing responsibilities. She retired from active duty as the Chief of the Modeling and Simulation Policy Division, Warfighter Systems Integration and Deployment. After retiring, she continued her work as a civilian. She is member of the Senior Executive Service and currently serves as the Executive Director of the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, California. Her responsibilities include overseeing a budget of nearly $3 billion, a workforce of over 18,000 people working at 34 different locations, with over 200 test facilities and a fleet of 75 aircraft.

Speaking with her and learning about her life’s journey, I quickly became aware that Dr. Bjorkman isn’t one to sit still very often or for very long! Hers is a continuous path of accomplishments, always moving forward, always moving up. Her educational accomplishments, along with her distinguished military and civilian careers, are simply awe inspiring, to say the least, and point to a person who is highly motivated, always curious, and not afraid of challenges!

In her spare time, she earned her FAA pilot certificates, holding an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, and is a Certified Flight Instructor with over 2000 hours of flying time. She owns a beautiful Super Decathlon aerobatic airplane that she enjoys flying. She’s also the author of two books. “The Propeller Under the Bed” is a tribute to her father, who, at the age of 82, flew a record setting flight in an airplane he designed and built. But it’s also a trip through aviation history with emphasis on the “homebuilt” experimental aircraft movement, which if you read between the lines, you’ll find that it’s actually a lifestyle!

Her other book, “Unforgotten in the Gulf of Tonkin,” is a story based on U.S. Navy pilot Willie Sharp. After his jet was hit over a target in North Vietnam, he was forced to eject. The book offers an insider’s look and details the efforts that go into protecting and saving our people by providing systems and equipment to increase the chances of survivability in the event of a mishap. Should some unfortunate event such as a pilot shootdown and ejection over enemy territory take place, it details the heroic efforts that go into search and rescue. It’s a must read and helps us remember that our country is protected by our nation’s finest, and to honor them. It’s also an important reminder that our nation’s protectors are protected by each other.

Dr. Bjorkman is an inspiration and example of what you can achieve by always leaning forward, making the best of your situation, and always striving to create the best version of yourself!