Student pilot makes history Published Jan. 23, 2007 By 2nd Lt Nicole Poff Public Affairs Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- Another Vance Air Force Base student made aviation history Nov. 18, nearly ten years after Vance AFB graduate Lt Col Eileen Collins became the first female to pilot a space shuttle. Marine student pilot, 2nd Lt Sara Faibisoff, became the first female pilot to get assigned to the V-22 Osprey during track selection for Class 05-10. "I don't know if I can describe the feeling," Lieutenant Faibisoff said on recalling the moment her aircraft assignment was announced. "I felt like my face was going to crack because I was smiling so big. It was incredible." The U.S. Naval Academy alumni decided to work toward Marine aviation after graduation because she liked their attitude and the intensity they have in everything they do. "Everything in the Marines is about supporting the ground troops," Lieutenant Faibisoff said. "I always wanted to be a helicopter pilot and do troop transport so that I could be closer to the ground." Lieutenant Faibisoff's attitude changed a little when she started flying the T-37 "Tweets" upon her arrival at Vance AFB. The experience of flying jets made her lean more toward the fighter pilot track, but when she heard that two V-22 Osprey slots were available the night before her class had track selection, she seized the opportunity and put her name in for one of the slots. "I remember looking at the plane when I was at the Naval Academy, but I never thought we were ever going to be able to fly them because of all the problems they were having," she said. "When I heard there were two slots available, I jumped on it, got lucky and got it." Luck may not necessarily have been the deciding factor. Lieutenant Faibisoff's flight commander, Capt Brian Young, said she is a standout Marine officer. "She always has an outstanding and upbeat attitude, putting out 110 percent effort," Captain Young said. "She always stood out for being able to quickly adapt to changing conditions, which will benefit her flying the Osprey." Lieutenant Faibisoff's adaptability will be helpful in flying the V-22 Osprey. The Osprey takes off like a helicopter and then the engines rotate to become a turbo-prop aircraft. After completing training in the T-37 Tweet, she is on her way to fly the C-12 Huron at Corpus Christi, Texas, and then to Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla., to train on the TH-57 "Sea Ranger." Her journey will end at New River, N.C., where all Ospreys are currently stationed, and where she will participate in what she intentionally sought out to do when she first decided to become a Marine aviator -- transport ground troops.