Swegle, Madeline (1995-…), is an American jet pilot. In 2020, she became the United States Navy’s first Black woman tactical air pilot. Tactical air pilots support military units on the ground and at sea, attacking enemy fighters and striking targets.
Madeline Manhertz was born on July 29, 1995, in Monterey , California . Her family later moved to Burke, Virginia , about 20 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Washington, D.C. Manhertz became interested in airplanes at a young age, after seeing an aircraft presentation by the Navy precision flying team the Blue Angels. Manhertz graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2017.
After graduating from the Naval Academy, Manhertz continued her training at the Naval Aviation Schools Command in Pensacola , Florida . She then went on to the Naval Aviation Schools Command in Corpus Christi , Texas . In 2020, Manhertz married Naval aviator Scott Swegle. That same year, she finished her training at the Naval Air Station in Kingsville, Texas, earning the “wings of gold” insignia as a naval aviator. With the title of tactical air pilot, Swegle can fly such fighter jets as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
