Kim Campbell (pilot)
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| Kim Campbell | |
|---|---|
 Captain Kim Campbell viewing her damaged A-10 |
|
| Nickname | Killer Chick |
| Place of birth | San Jose, California |
| Allegiance | USAF |
| Years of service | 1998 - |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 75th Fighter Squadron |
| Battles/wars | 2003 invasion of Iraq |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross with valor |
Kim Campbell (b. 1975) is a pilot in the U.S. Air Force (USAF).
Campbell, daughter of the future Mayor of San Jose (and former U.S. Air Force Captain) Chuck Reed gained favorable notice when she successfully piloted her A-10 Warthog back to base in southern Iraq despite it having been badly shot up after a combat mission over Baghdad (see photo).
She joined the Civil Air Patrol when she was 13 and made her first solo flight over the skies of San Jose at the age of 16.
She is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy where she was the top cadet in her class, making her cadet wing commander. She and her father are the first father-daughter cadet wing commander team in Air Force Academy history. She also has a degree in International Security Studies from the University of Reading, England and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of London, England.
After her tour of duty in Iraq ended, Kim Campbell gave several lectures around the country about her experience, including one at National Air and Space Museum. The A-10 Warthog has long had a reputation for being a durable plane. This incident seems to validate its design as a hard-to-destroy ground attack aircraft.
She is married to another A-10 pilot, Major Scott Campbell. They met at the Air Force Academy.
Kim Campbell attained the rank of Major in the fall of 2006.
[edit] April 2003 incident
The damage occurred when she was flying a mission over Baghdad on April 7, 2003. "We did our job with the guys there on the ground, and as we were on our way out is when I felt the jet get hit. It was pretty obvious - it was loud ... I lost all hydraulics instantaneously, and the jet rolled left and pointed toward the ground, which was an uncomfortable feeling over Baghdad. It didn't respond to any of my control inputs."[1] She tried several procedures to get the aircraft under control; none of which worked, last she put the plane into manual reversion, meaning she was flying the aircraft without hydraulics. The aircraft immediately responded. "The jet started climbing away from the ground, which was a good feeling because there was no way I wanted to eject over Baghdad." With some technical advice from her flight leader, Lt. Colonel Turner, she flew the injured plane for an hour back to the air base. "The jet was performing exceptionally well, I had no doubt in my mind I was going to land that airplane". Landing was tricky "When you lose all the hydraulics, you don't have speed brakes, you don't have brakes, and you don't have steering".[2]
On the ground it was discovered that her A-10 had sustained damage to one engine and to the redundant hydraulic systems, disabling the flight controls, landing gear and brakes, and horizontal stabilizer. A detailed inspection revealed hundreds of holes in the airframe and that large sections of the stabilizer and hydraulic controls were missing.[3]
"She's one of the few pilots who ever landed the A-10 in the manual mode." General Richard Myers - Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.[4]
