Aerospace Engineer, Pilot, Pro Dancer: Georgia Force Cheerleader Kim Soars to Success

When you think of the coolest movie characters of the 20th Century, people like Tom Cruise flying in Top Gun, John Travolta dancing in Saturday Night Fever or Pulp Fiction, and Harrison Ford, either jetting through the galaxy in Star Wars or going from academia to adventure as Indiana Jones, come to mind. Well, move over fellas, in the 21st century there is going to be a young woman who rolls all of these cool roles into being one of the singular coolest people of the new millennium. And she isn’t going to be relying on a script or using stunt people, she will be doing it all on her own, for real. Kim of the Georgia Force Cheerleaders is an aerospace engineer, and after work, she may be out flying planes or dancing on the field during a sold out AFL game at Gwinnett Arena outside of Atlanta. Plus, she is gracious, hospitable, and as nice a person as you’d ever want to meet.

Kim is in her rookie season as a Georgia Force Cheerleader. Her dance experience includes being a member and captain on both the Georgia Tech Goldrush Dance Team during undergrad, and then the Atlanta Chiefs Semi-Pro inaugural team after graduation. This is just the recent stuff; Kim has over 22 years of dance experience, and has choreographed routines for semi-pro and high school teams.

Kim received her undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2009 with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and is currently working on her Masters in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She works as a flight test engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, and has participated in test programs on the AT-6C and A-10 aircraft. Kim also has her private pilot’s license and is a VFR rated pilot for single engine aircraft and enjoys flying Cessna 172’s when she can. Her future plans include applying for a fighter pilot slot with the United States Air National Guard, in addition to one day coaching her own high school or collegiate dance team. So if they ever need to get away that James Bond concept and looking for someone to be Jane Bond, or to develop an original super cool adventure hero, I think Kim is the person to fit the bill.

Kim kindly agreed to be interviewed by UltimateCheerleaders.com, and we learn about her love of dance, and her passion for engineering and flight, and why someday, we may all be flying around like “The Jetsons.”

UC.com: Tell us about your life’s journey: Where were you born? What was your first job ever?

Kim: I was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where I lived until I moved to Atlanta for college. I grew up in a three generational home with my maternal grandmother helping raise my little sister and me in our house. Both of my parents are law enforcement officers, so I had a very protected but loving life growing up, and my first job was at my dance studio working as an assistant teacher to children from age two to twelve. After high school graduation, I moved up to Atlanta to go to Georgia Tech, and have never left. After graduation from Tech, I went from undergraduate student to research faculty member in a three week time span, and have been a Research Engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute for the past two years.

UC.com: Tell us about how your love of dance developed! Were you a high energy child with no shyness about being in the spotlight?

Kim: My family has always had dance in our lives, and so I believe my love of dance came from my mother. My mother and aunt danced for over fifteen years growing up, and it was as much a part of their lives as it was for my sister and me. I don’t quite remember too much about when I first started dance, except I remember being really excited to put on mommy’s make up at my first dance recital and every year, without fail, my father would show up with a beautiful bouquet of flowers to give me after my performance. I was always a social child, but I loved keeping my nose in a book and was quite happy at home, so my parents were a little shocked when they saw how much I loved performing on a stage. I think that dance has always been an outlet for me to escape whatever realities I was facing, and get to be an actress of sorts for whatever piece I’m performing. My parents recognized this early on, and encouraged me to continue to dance all the way through the collegiate and professional levels.

UC.com: What prompted you to try out the first time for the Atlanta Chiefs team?

Kim: I decided to try out for the Atlanta Chiefs semi-pro cheerleading team after I graduated from Georgia Tech and realized I wasn’t quite ready to give dance up yet. I tried taking some studio classes, which satisfied me for a short period of time, but in adult classes you never get the chance to perform which was what I was missing so much. I found out about the Chiefs in their inaugural year, and thought this would be a great opportunity to continue to perform, give back to the community, meet great friends, and be a part of the team’s history.

UC.com: What do you like about being part of pro dance that convinced you to continue on with the Force?

Kim: I think one of the aspects of pro cheerleading that is so amazing, are the opportunities you get to give back to the community that you may not have had otherwise. Being a part of professional teams, young children look up and respect you and want to hear what you have to say. I have been blessed with the opportunity to go to career days, health and fitness awareness conventions, 5K runs, Habitat for Humanity, and more. Each of these opportunities provides us a chance to give back to our communities, spread the word out about our team, and show that professional cheerleaders are more than just pretty girls, we are educated and talented women who have successful careers and lives and just so happen to live to dance as well.

UC.com: What do you remember that was the start of your interest in flight and aircraft? When did you first pilot a plane, and what do you remember about that first flight?

Kim: I have loved aviation and aerospace since I was a little girl. I told my mother and father that I was going to be an astronaut at the age of five, and never really looked back after that. I went to space camp three different times as a child, and took as many math and science classes as I could in high school. I majored in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech, and will watch any movie that has a plane in it. I didn’t actually start my flight lessons till after I graduated college, but once I started I couldn’t get enough. I began flying as much as my piggy bank would allow and got my private pilot’s license in less than six months. I remember being so nervous the first time my flight instructor and I were taxiing on the runway and then he told me to take off on my first flight! I kept thinking, “Okay Kim, it’s make it or break time, if this is really what you want to do, now is the time to shine.” Once we got up in the air, it was very similar to the feeling I have when I dance, nothing else in the world matters, and it’s just so beautiful to see the world from a different perspective. I continue to fly now when I just need to get away from things for a while, and love seeing how small everything seems from 5000 feet in the air. It really puts everything in perspective for me, and I come back with a new attitude and ready to tackle whatever was bothering me before.

UC.com: What aircraft/aerospace advances do you anticipate will happen in your lifetime that will knock our socks off? And on the flip side, break our hearts; what advances should we expect not to happen any time soon, like flying around like The Jetsons? Also, will changes in fossil fuel cost and availability change how we power planes?

Kim: I think in my lifetime, we will probably see the space program re-vamped and either back on the moon or Mars because I’m not sure how much longer Earth is going to sustain our society at the rate we are going. I think on the flip side, watching the end of the shuttle program is sad because it closes out an era, and in the military side of things, watching UAV’s (unmanned aerial vehicles) like the Reaper and Predator become more and more common, you will begin to see the end of the old school fighter pilot. The next generation of air to air and air to ground combat will most likely be done by drones, however you will always have the need for at least one manned flight, so fighter pilots won’t be completely out of the picture.

As far as fixed wing design goes, we are trying every day to create quieter, more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly planes. However, the invention I’m most hoping will eventually take off is the Terrafugia or its equivalent, which is a personal aircraft that can fold up its wings and drive on the highway like a normal car. I don’t know how this is going to affect Air Traffic Control in the future, and may be a nightmare at first, but the age of The Jetsons isn’t too far off the horizon.

UC.com: Is there a beauty in flying, of things working together in synchronicity and producing a tangible effect, that reminds you of the beauty of dance? Contrast flying to being part of a dance team, do you like the independence of flying solo?

Kim: The feeling of isolation from the rest of the world is evident to me both in my flying and while I’m dancing. Reality seems to be put on hold, and nothing else matters except what I’m doing at that particular moment, and that’s the beauty of dance and aviation that I love so much. Either with a team performance and feeding off each one another’s energy, or simply by keeping an aircraft in the air, my attention is solely on the tasks at hand and provides a freeing feeling. In dance, it is important for your safety that everything is done in synchronicity so that you don’t get hit by another teammate or injure yourself. This same principle can be applied in flying solo, in that your life depends on the actions you take while in the air in order to successfully land regardless of the situation you may be in.

UC.com: What is your dream job? Does your non-dance experience in pro cheerleading, of being part of a team, reacting to music, and being in front of people, ever help you at work and school?

Kim: My dream job would be to fly a fighter aircraft for United States Air National Guard and to serve my country in the process. I love helping people, and giving back to my community, and I can think of no greater way to do this than to serve my country in order to protect the freedom and rights of others. In addition, I would love to eventually be able to give back on some of my dance experience and coach a dance team either at the high school, collegiate or professional level when I’m not being deployed.

My non-dance experience in pro cheering definitely can be applied to other aspects of my life. Being part of a team environment is important both in cheerleading, as well as working with a flight test team in order to test dangerous mission parameters. When conductive live fire test and evaluation components, it is crucial that every member of the testing team is in sync with each other from the pilots down to the engineers to make sure that no one gets hurt in the process. Similarly, the ability to perform in front of large crowds of people in dance, has helped me get over my nerves when I have to stand up and give big presentations to potential clients, or answer difficult questions. I know that having the confidence in my material on the arena floor can be correlated to the confidence in knowing my subject matter well enough to answer any question a client can ask me.

UC.com: If you could surprise your GFC teammates, and put them all on a plane and fly them somewhere for a weekend, where would you take them?

Kim: Well, recently my GFC teammates and I all went to the beach for a weekend, and had a blast. So I think if I were able to surprise them with a weekend trip, I would love to be able to fly them to Hawaii or some other beautiful tropical location with a beach. However, I think we would all have a great time wherever we went, and I know my teammates would just be appreciative if I took them to the middle of nowhere just so we could all hang out and bond.

UC.com: For someone interested in learning to fly, what advice would you give? Are there certain traits that some people have that will indicate they will be potentially good pilots?

Kim: If you are interested at all in aviation, then I recommend you think about learning how to fly. However, I do realize that flying is not for everyone. If possible, try and find a friend or pay for an instructor or someone to take you up once on your own so you can get an idea if flying is for you before you spend a bunch of money taking lessons and going to ground school.

If flying is for you though, I recommend saving as much money as you can and doing it in as short a time span as possible. Not only is it a ton of fun to fly, but especially in the beginning, it is crucial that you get in the air as close as possible so you don’t have to relearn anything or go back over maneuvers. Flying is not the same as learning how to ride a bike, and a lot of flying is done by learning the feel of your aircraft. The longer the time in between flights, the harder it is for a new pilot to master this concept.

I think some of the biggest indicators on who will make a good pilot are their dedication to learn and their love of aviation, and how they handle stress. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, anyone can fly, however, great pilots are the ones that do not crack under pressure or lose control when something goes wrong in the aircraft. Great pilots are the ones who calmly think about the situation, continue flying the plane, and figure out what they need to do to get themselves and their passengers safely back on the ground.

UC.com: Have you skydived?

Kim: I have gone skydiving before. It was definitely an exhilarating experience, and I wasn’t even nervous about it until after I jumped out of the plane and watched a perfectly good airplane fly away while I was falling at 120 mph towards the ground. The nervousness however was short lived, and I realized that at this point there was nothing I could do about it now so might as well enjoy the free fall and worry about my chute later if it in fact did not open. Luckily for me everything went great, and I am now the proud owner of some great pictures of me free-falling at 10,000 feet in the air.

UC.com: You dance in front of thousands, you would like to be a fighter pilot; are you ever nervous or afraid of anything?

Kim: Even though I would like to be a fighter pilot, and I can dance in front of thousands of fans, I still get nervous all the time. The difference is I usually turn that nervous energy into adrenaline and that is what keeps me pumped up to perform my routines, or fly a plane. As far as being scared of anything, I have an abnormal fear of losing my vision and not being able to fly, and I really don’t like scary movies or anything that pops out at me. Oh yeah, and I hate giving speeches! (laughs)

UC.com: What would you tell young women to excite them and encourage them about the possibilities of pursuing a career in engineering, physics, and flight?

Kim: When I get the opportunity to go to “career days” or talk to upcoming young women about what they want to do, I tell them to aim high. When I was little, no one ever told me I couldn’t be a professional cheerleader, flight test engineer, pilot, Aerospace engineer, and grad student; so I did it. If math and science is what they enjoy doing, then engineering is such an amazing field to get into. Some of the work I get to do at Georgia Tech not only is exciting and on the cutting edge of technology, but it also saves lives. My modeling and simulation work for human injury will go on to help save many soldiers’ lives who travel in light armored vehicles and get hit with an IED (improvised explosive device), and the flight testing I help in is for a new closed air support mission that will keep fighter pilots employed for quite a few years to come. It’s this kind of work that is not only fascinating to do, but also very rewarding, and if it that is what they are interested in, then I highly encourage them to follow their dreams and don’t take no for an answer.

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Great advice from someone living her personal dreams, yet still committed to using her goals for the benefit of others!  And Kim, if you need some designs for future planes that will make the boarding process easier, I have some ideas!

What a great concept of that car/plane combo, the Terrafugia.  Hey, maybe that can be the super cool adventure hero based on Kim’s life, she can be named Tara Fugia!  Think of a Lara Croft, but with world class dance moves, innovative flying machines, and more use of brains than bullets.

Thanks Kim for taking time out for this interview, be we are much more thankful to have people like you willing both to serve their country and provide innovations to enhance the prospects of our technological future.  The fact that Kim is also willing to entertain fans by performing at Force games is just wonderful icing on a beautiful cake.

And special thanks to GFC Director Joie Ashworth for coordination of this interview, and here are some more photos of Kim at the final regular season game.