South Dakota Corners Market on Female Fighter Pilots

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Two South Dakota pilots are now part of a select group of five women from around the country who can operate F-16 Fighting Falcon jets for the Air National Guard.

Gender, however, is the last thing the millennial pilots dwell on.

Instead, Capts. Shanon Davis and Valerie Vanderostyne are focused on perfecting the skills that one day may lead them to defend their country by operating an aircraft that can shoot down other airplanes and also drop bombs.

Davis and Vanderostyne are part of the 114th Fighter Wing with the South Dakota Air National Guard in Sioux Falls. After years of training, they're the first two female fighter pilots in the state Air Guard's 70-year history.

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