Nicola Winter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicola Winter
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Winter in 2022
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| Born | 10 March 1985 Munich, West Germany |
| Allegiance |  Germany |
| Years of service | 2004–2018 |
| Rank | Major |
| Space career | |
| ESA Astronaut | |
| Selection | 2022 ESA Group |
Nicola Winter (born 10 March 1985) is a German reserve astronaut and a former fighter pilot. She became the second female fighter pilot in the history of the German Air Force in 2007. She flew powerful jets like the Tornado and the Eurofighter Typhoon. In 2022, she was chosen to be a reserve astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA).
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Flying High: Nicola Winter's Air Force Journey
Nicola Winter comes from a family of flyers. Her mother enjoyed flying hang gliders. Her younger sister, Nena, is also a pilot for Lufthansa, a major airline.
Joining the German Air Force
In 2004, Nicola joined the German Air Force. She first attended a one-year school. This school focused on training officers. After that, she spent another year studying. This prepared her for pilot training.
Becoming a Fighter Pilot
Her pilot training lasted 53 weeks. It took place at the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) program. This program is located at Sheppard Air Force Base in the United States. Nicola qualified as a pilot in 2007.
After her training, Winter was assigned to the 322nd Squadron in Bavaria, Germany. Here, she flew Tornado jets. She flew alongside Major Ulrike Flender. Major Flender was Germany's first female fighter pilot. Flender had finished her pilot training about 10 months before Winter.
Instructor and Eurofighter Pilot
In 2012, Nicola Winter became an instructor pilot. She taught new pilots at the ENJJPT program. She worked with the 459th Flying Training Squadron. In 2015, she completed her training to fly the Eurofighter Typhoon. This is another advanced fighter jet.
In 2018, she took a break from the armed forces. She then started working in management consulting.
Aiming for Space: Astronaut Dreams
In 2016, a private space program called Die Astronautin (The Female Astronaut) started looking for applicants. Their goal was to send the first German woman into space. Before this, all eleven Germans who had traveled to space were men.
Applying to Be an Astronaut
As a fighter pilot, Nicola Winter applied for this program. There were 86 candidates in September 2016. By December 2016, she was one of 30 women in the final selection process. She was chosen as one of two winners. However, she later decided to leave the program.
Becoming an ESA Reserve Astronaut
In 2022, Nicola Winter was selected as a reserve astronaut. She joined the 2022 European Space Agency Astronaut Group. This means she is part of a team that could be chosen for future space missions.
