"The first-ever woman to pilot a German air force Tornado fighter plane has graduated from the German Air Force Flying Training Center at Holloman Air Force Base.

"I think she is a hero in all of Germany because she is the first female pilot," Senior Master Sgt. Robert Meints, GAFFTC spokesman, said of 2nd Lt. Ulrike Flender.

Meints said stories about the pilot were aired on German television in November and December. She graduated in December.

"She's something kind of like a star in Germany," Meints said.

According to a Holloman Air Force Base press release issued this week, Flender is the first woman to receive the honor. She is now back in Germany for additional training."

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