J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 Aviation forWomen 25
intended on becoming a pilot, but after a failed depth percep-
tion test that was no longer an option. She had joined naval
aviation to fy the F-14 Tomcat, and decided that fying in that
jet, even from the back seat, was still a dream come true.
She received her wings of gold as a naval flight officer
(NFO), and gained a coveted slot in the Navy's F-14 training
squadron. In the F-14 Tomcat the NFOs were called radar in-
tercept offcers (RIOs). "The Tomcat community had, and will
always have, an unusually strong bond," Vanessa said. "The
pilot and RIO relied on each other to accomplish every mis-
sion. While the pilot few the aircraft, the RIO was responsi-
ble for the weapons systems, navigation, and communication.
Close cockpit coordination was critical."
Meagan started at the Naval Academy and immediately
knew that all of the work she had done to get there was worth
it. "My frst day there I had chills," she said. "I knew the work
would be hard. Balancing the day-to-day curriculum along
with getting up early for formation is a challenge that I think
a lot of folks going for a normal college experience don't plan
on. But I loved it. I thought that the entire process, as well as
the traditions, were amazing and contributed signifcantly to
who I am today. The one thing about it is that you have to be
there for yourself. You are the one who has to be up at 0500
going to work out, you have to be the one to push through the
pain, you have to be the one that wants is more than anyone."
After graduation Meagan traveled to Pensacola, Florida, to
" T H E TO M C AT C O M M U N I T Y H A D , A N D W I L L A LWAY S
H AV E , A N U N U S UA L LY S T R O N G B O N D."
Meagan Flannigan