HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Hill Air Force Base has named the lead pilot for their new F-35 aerial demonstration team.

On Feb. 29, Capt. Kristin Wolfe was tabbed as the new F-35A Demonstration Team’s pilot and commander for the 2020 and 2021 air show season, according to a press release from Hill.

Wolfe was certified lead pilot during the Air Force’s Heritage Flight Training Course at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. — an annual training event for all of the agency’s single-ship aerial demonstration teams. The release says Wolfe was selected due to her flight experience and leadership abilities. Wolfe previously served as an instructor pilot for Hill’s 388th Fighter Wing.

“It’s extremely humbling and rewarding to get the opportunity to showcase the F-35A at so many different locations,” Wolfe said. “It’s a privilege to work with the best airmen from Hill Air Force Base, and to give people a small glimpse of what this jet is capable of.”

Previously located at Luke AFB, Ariz., the F-35A demo team now operates as part of the 388th FW at Hill. The base was selected as home for the Department of Defense’s first combat F-35 unit in 2013 and began accepting combat-ready jets in 2015. The 388th and 419th fighter wings now have their full complement of 78 jets. F-35s at Hill have deployed on numerous combat missions since their arrival in Utah.

The team began training for the upcoming show season in January, designing and preparing new launch and recovery procedures for the demonstration routine. The approximately 18-minute routine will highlight the F-35A’s numerous capabilities, including its speed, agility and high-g turning.

The Air Force announced the team’s 20-performance schedule in December. Right now, the Hill-based team is scheduled to fly at 20 shows during the year, running March through November. The team will perform at the biennial Hill Air Show on June 27 and 28. The two-day event regularly draws more than 500,000 spectators.

Wolfe has been flying F-35As since transitioning from the F-22A Raptor in 2017. She has approximately 800 total fighter hours in both of the service’s 5th-generation aircraft. She flew with the F-35 demo team last year, while it was stationed in Arizona, and will take the reins as team commander from Maj. Andrew Olson.

“She was a phenomenal choice,” Olsen said, citing Wolfe’s previous experience with the demo team and as a F-22A Raptor instructor pilot. “She’s flown and instructed in 5th (generation) fighters her entire career.”