CLEVELAND — All eyes will be on the skies as the Cleveland National Air Show returns for its 58th season.

The event has seen some changes over the years; an increased presence of women in the cockpit being one of them.

What You Need To Know

  • The Cleveland National Air Show returns Sept. 3-5

  • Capt. Aimee Fiedler is a U.S. Air Force pilot leading the F-16 Viper tactical demonstration team each day of the show

  • Fiedler hopes to broaden people's minds about women in aviation

This year, Air Force Pilot Capt. Aimee Fiedler will lead the eight-person Viper Demonstration Team of F-16 aircraft. 

“It’s a very athletic event,” she said. “And truly, you’re always chasing perfection and you never get there.”

Fiedler started flying at age 16 and was a civilian pilot for 10 years before joining the Air Force.

“Never looked back,” she said. “And now I get to serve my country and do what I love.”

She’s also a role model representing female fliers, something she said she didn’t realize would come with her position as pilot and team commander. 

“We have people that come up at air shows that are either shocked that I’m a woman doing this job, or you have a little girl tell me that her parents told her she couldn’t fly a fighter jet because she’s a girl,” Fiedler said. 

Fiedler said she’s hoping her increased visibility will help inspire opportunities for others. 

“It’s time to have a different mindset about women in aviation,” she said. “It shouldn’t be glamorized, it should be normalized.”

Flying gives Fiedler and her team a chance to share their specialized skills. She compared the air show to a sporting event. 

“You do so much practice and go through so much training, that by the time you get to game day, the nerves are really excitement,” she said. 

Fiedler said she started with the team as a safety observer last year and was promoted to pilot and commander in March 2022. 

She said her years of training earned her the call sign Rebel, in the fighter pilot tradition. 

The Cleveland National Air Show runs each day Saturday through Monday of Labor Day weekend.