Julie Tizard has been a professional pilot for over 35 years. One of the earliest women pilots to graduate from Air Force pilot training, she served as an instructor pilot flying the T-37 jet trainer. She then flew the KC-10 air refueling tanker as an aircraft commander. She served in several leadership positions including flight commander, chief of pilot upgrade, chief of flight safety, and squadron commander. She retired as a colonel from the Air Force Reserve after 25 years of service.

Julie currently flies an Airbus 320 and is a captain at a major airline. She has flown the Boeing 737, 757, 767, and the DC-10. She was an instructor pilot and line check airman on the B737. She also flies her own aircraft, a T-67 Firefly, a military trainer. When not flying, reading about flying, talking about flying, or attending air shows, she can be found renovating houses, playing a baritone horn in the local LGBT band, and traveling with her partner. She lives in Arizona.