HSM-78 Attends the First All-Female Air Show

HSM-78 Attends the First All-Female Air Show

By ENS Savannah Pankow, USN

From Friday May 20 to Sunday May 22, 2022, a crew from the San Diego-based Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78 “Blue Hawks,” attended the first ever all-female air show at Hillsboro Airfield in Portland, Oregon.

The Oregon International Air Show has been the state’s largest aviation event since 1988. This year was especially distinctive as it exclusively featured female pilots, aircrew, maintainers, skydivers, announcers, support personnel, and air boss. The event was organized not only to highlight the advances females have made in this field, but also to inspire younger generations to pursue the limitless possibilities available in STEM and aviation-related career fields.

Throughout the weekend, the sunny skies were filled with high-flying aerobatics and high-speed passes from a variety of aircraft. Highlights of the live performances included U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, F-16 Viper, and F-15E Strike Eagle as well as U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-35C Lightning II. A full listing of the performances and displays is linked at the end.

On the ground, over 100,000 attendees came out to watch the show and interact with a variety of static displays. Spectators ranged from wide-eyed children eagerly reaching for the shiny controls to military veterans reminiscing as they took a seat in the familiar cockpit. Despite the diversity of observers, every individual present shared an appreciation for the aviation community.

HSM-78’s crew (left to right) AWR3 Jerrica Martin, ENS Savannah Pankow, AM1 Anna Kolesova, LT Emily Tucker, and LCDR Martina Hill on the way to the Oregon International Airshow. Photo by ENS Savannah Pankow, USN

The HSM-78 “Blue Hawks” operate the MH-60R Seahawk, a submarine hunter and anti-surface warfare helicopter. Its secondary missions include electromagnetic warfare, search and rescue, vertical replenishment, naval surface fire support, logistics support, personnel transport, medical evacuation, and VHF/UHF/Link communication relay. The MH-60R and its mission systems have replaced the fleet's legacy SH- 60B and SH-60F aircraft.

HSM-78 pilots, LCDR Martina Hill and LT Emily Tucker, along with their supporting crew, began the weekend with a scenic flight along the West Coast in the MH-60R. They were met in Portland by clear blue skies and thousands of enthusiastic airshow attendees. The crew spent the weekend giving tours of the helicopter, letting the spectators sit in the cockpit while explaining its layout, teaching about the helicopter’s missions and capabilities, and discussing the avenues available to working in the aviation field.

HSM-78’s crew included LCDR Hill and LT Tucker, along with one of the squadron’s ground officers, ENS Savannah Pankow. AM1 Anna Kolesova joined the crew from San Diego-based HSM-49 “Scorpions,” and AWR3 Jerrica Martin joined from HSM-37 ”Easyriders,” a Pearl Harbor-based squadron.

LCDR Hill has been in the Navy for 13 years. Her first fleet tour was with HSL-49 “Scorpions,” where she completed two Western Pacific deployments, conducting Freedom of Navigation operations. She also participated in OPERATION DAMAYAN, a humanitarian assistance operation in the Philippines, providing food and water to locals in the Leyte Gulf. Most recently, she completed an additional Western Pacific deployment with HSM-78.

LCDR Hill spoke to the advances she has personally seen for women in this field since beginning her career in naval aviation.

"When I first started doing this, people would ask me if I was the stewardess," she said. "I haven't heard that question once today." LCDR Hill shared that the airshow easily filled its openings with all-female crews.

The entire HSM-78 Crew for this event commented on the sense of pride that was felt to be part of the show. This sentiment seems to have been shared among all aircraft volunteers.

Canadian pilot Anna Serbinenko told KGW-TV, “It feels very special to be part of it, I feel honored and proud to be part of an all-female air show. Aviation is traditionally a very male-dominated profession.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the Oregon International Airshow and its 2022 events lineup, go to https://oregonairshow.com.