Calif. Member Flies as 1st Female Green Flag West Pilot

Capt. Karin Hollerbach joined Civil Air Patrol in June 2013 to provide valuable volunteer service to her country. Now, after nearly seven years of dedicated service with the California Wing's Ameila Earhart Senior Squadron 188, Hollerbach is getting her chance to perform at an even higher level, and she’s making history while she’s at it.

She was recently selected to be the first female CAP member to fly as a mission pilot in the organization’s Green Flag program. Green Flag is key in providing realistic Predator/Reaper remotely piloted arcraft (RPA) integration into air and ground force battlefield combat training through the use of CAP surrogate sensor camera-equipped airplanes (MQ-1/MQ-9 SRPAs).

Hollerbach attended CAP’s Green Flag University at Green Flag West in North Las Vegas, Nevada, undergoing an intensive seven-day training program to learn her new duties. 

As a Green Flag mission pilot, Hollerbach will be the pilot in command on board during essential mission support flights that aid in the training and preparation of U.S. Air Force airmen and U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps ground troops before they’re deployed overseas. Though she’s already an accomplished pilot, she welcomes the new duties and opportunities.

Hollerbach is living proof that dreams do come true.