The first female fighter pilot in the world comes from Bijelo Polje. Her name is featured in the Guinness Book of Records and she is celebrated as the only woman among the 20 greatest aviators in history. Her name is Sabiha Gökçen, who was born and raised in Turkey, where her parents fled to from the village of Lozna near Bijelo Polje due to the Balkan Wars.
Just like Sabiha, Kristina Bačić, the only female pilot in the Army of Montenegro, has gone up in the air. She graduated from the Hellenic Air Force Academy, where she encountered numerous obstacles and prejudice because she was a woman. The return to her homeland restored her hope that women can still be equal, regardless of the job they do.
“When I returned to Montenegro, I experienced the total opposite of what I experienced as a cadet at the Hellenic Academy in Athens. Here I was welcomed by vastly experienced people, who graduated from prestigious academies and who accepted me – either as their daughter or as their sister. Even today, I’m improving and flying. I have more experience now. When my younger colleagues approach me, I’m always willing to help them. No matter if they are a lieutenant, colonel or major, I can always turn to someone for help at both professional and private level,” says the 26-year-old from Bar.
She encourages girls to aspire to be the best at what they do and to make their own mark in their area of work. That goal, she says, was her motivation during her education and training, which helped her to become the only female pilot in the Army of Montenegro. Kristina is currently stationed at the Knjaz Danilo military airport in Golubovci. She is a member of a local squadron as a pilot for the Bell 505 helicopter.
Kristina Bačić was one of the speakers at our panel discussion entitled ‘Examples of SHEvalry and SHEroism’, which we organised as part of the campaign of the same name.