"Can a fish swim in space?" is the question that started 1st Lt. Eleanor "Ellie" Morgan on the path to becoming a pilot.

As a third-grader, in 1993, her class held a contest that would allow the person who came up with the best question to speak to shuttle commander Ken Cameron, of STS-56, via Ham radio as he flew overhead.  Morgan won the contest.

"I don't remember his exact answer, but he said that fish can swim, but not that well," she recalled. "He said they float better.  The answer really didn't matter.  I was hooked on space."

A cruise to view a total solar eclipse, space camps, a flying lesson, and meeting astronauts led her to a career as a pilot. Seventeen years later, Morgan flies C-17 Globemaster III airplanes for the U.S. Air Force with the 4th Airlift Squadron at McChord Field.  Although the road to C-17s was a daunting one, she excels at understanding and overcoming the challenges of being a female pilot.

Although she did not always aspire to be a pilot, the events of her childhood led her to it.  As a child growing up in Bethlehem, Pa., Morgan did not find astronomy or space too exciting.  Her father, Chuck Kunesh, an amateur astronomer, tried to share his interest with her, but she rebuffed his efforts.

"Whenever he would talk about it I would think, ‘oh my gosh, I can't stand this,'" said the 26-year-old Tacoma resident.

Five years later things changed. During the winter of her eighth-grade year, she took a Caribbean cruise on the "Galaxy," a Celebrity Cruise Line vessel that traveled through the line of totality during a total solar eclipse.  At the same time, she was riddled with questions about what she wanted to do when she grew up.  At that point, she started to think about flying.

"I'll never forget when we went on the cruise and the plane took off to fly down to Puerto Rico," she said. "That whole flight I had my face glued to the window looking at the clouds and the scenic view below.  It was pretty awesome."

While she enjoyed cross country, soccer, horseback riding and skiing in high school, she simultaneously grew her interest in flying. Upon graduating from high school in the top five percent of her class, she attended the U.S. Air Force Academy.

It was a humbling experience, she said.

"I wanted to be an astronaut, and I thought that in order to do that I had to major in astronautical engineering," she said. "But when I got into it, I began to realize how technical it was.  I wanted to learn about space and flying not the specifics on how to build a satellite."

She changed her major, and again she excelled academically, ending her years at the academy on the dean's list.  She began her training at Luke Air Force Base before being stationed at McChord Field.

While pilot training was not easy for her, once she understood a concept she had it down. Physical training proved to be another challenge.  At about 5-foot-6 and 125 pounds, she could run effortlessly.  However, pull-ups were another story.

"Here I am with these long skinny arms of mine trying to pull myself up," she said. "All these big strong guys helped lift me up."

However, she reciprocated.

"When we ran, I would carry their rifles for them," she said. "It was so funny.  They would be breathing hard, saying, ‘I can't run.'  I would carry their rifles for them." 

In addition to running, what came easy for her was working with other people.

"Working as a team is really what pilot training is all about," she said.

Although she has four years in the Air Force, like other female pilots, she faces challenges daily.

"I think this is something that only girls will understand," she said. "Even though the guys treat you the same, as a girl you have such high standards and expectations for yourself because in your own mind you have to prove yourself just because you are a woman in a man's world."

Although she has been in several situations where the women are scarce - about 20 percent of the students at the academy were female, and during pilot training she was the only female in her class - she found ways to work through it.

"At pilot training, I had 25 brothers who took me under their wing," Morgan said. "But the pressure was still there, because I felt like if I did bad all the sudden that meant that girls couldn't fly."

Becoming one of the guys was nice, but Morgan also wanted to maintain her feminine identity.  She has learned several secrets to accomplishing this.

To start, she earns the respect of the men she works with, she said.

"I don't mind getting down and dirty," she said. "I will work hard, and I sweat.  That earns you respect with the guys.  At the same time, just because I am tough doesn't mean that I can't also be girlie. "

Another challenge for Morgan is that her husband of six months, 1st Lt. Wesley Morgan, is based in Tampa where he flies KC-135s.

"Like most couples, we want to be co-located," she said. "This long distance thing is really tough."

Despite the challenges, it's all worth it for Morgan, who makes captain next week.

"There is nothing like the freedom you feel when you are high above the clouds," she said. "Every day is a blue sky day.  I love to travel, see new places and fly missions all over the world. Being able to help people in austere situations is truly what it is all about."