Karina Miranda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karina Miranda
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| Nationality | Chilean |
| Other names | Karina Miranda Cottenie |
| Occupation | Combat aviator |
| Known for | First Chilean female pilot to break the sound barrier |
Karina Miranda is a brave and skilled pilot from Chile. She made history in 2010 by becoming the first woman from her country to fly faster than the speed of sound! This amazing feat happened during a training flight in a powerful Northrop F-5 fighter jet. She flew over 1,200 kilometers (about 745 miles) per hour!
Who is Karina Miranda?
Karina Miranda was born and grew up in Puerto Montt, Chile. When she was 17, she decided to join the Chilean Air Force. After years of hard work and training, she graduated from a special course called A-36 at age 24. This made her the very first female combat pilot in Chile! Over time, she has moved up in the ranks, from second lieutenant to lieutenant and then to captain.
Her Amazing Flights
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Karina Miranda started her flight training in 2006. She learned to fly a Northrop F-5 fighter jet. On April 29, 2010, she made history. She flew an F-5 Tiger III jet and broke the sound barrier! This means she flew faster than the speed of sound.
Imagine flying so fast that you create a "sonic boom"! This happens when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound. Karina Miranda did this at 20,000 feet above the ground. She was the first Chilean woman to achieve this incredible speed. Before her, only Chilean men had broken the sound barrier, starting in the 1970s.
Her commander, Sergio Romero, said that the F-5 and the F-16 are the most important planes for combat. He explained that pilots need many hours of training to fly these jets. He added that Lieutenant Miranda had all that experience.
Since Karina Miranda became a combat pilot, other women have also completed the training. However, as of 2015, she was the only female pilot in Chile actively flying a top-level jet that could go supersonic.
Inspiring Others at the Museum of Flight
In 2010, Karina Miranda took part in a special event in Seattle, USA. It was held at The Museum of Flight and was called Women Fly, Women of South America. This event celebrated the lives and achievements of female pilots.
Karina Miranda met with another amazing pilot, Ruth Morales. Ruth is a civilian pilot from Ecuador who works in the United States. She tests planes for Boeing. The event aimed to inspire young American girls to think about careers in aviation and becoming pilots themselves.
