Nicole Margaret Ellingwood Malachowski (born September 26, 1974) is a United States Air Force officer and the first female pilot selected to fly as part of the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds. Her aviator call sign is "FiFi". Her first public performance was in March 2006 and she spent the 2006 and 2007 air show seasons flying the Number 3 (Right Wing) aircraft in the diamond formation. Prior to attending the U.S. Air Force Academy and joining the USAF, Lieutenant Colonel Malachowski was a Civil Air Patrol Cadet.