Abingdon Co image of a woman with medium length blonde hair wearing a green flight jacket with patches in an outdoor beach setting is smiling and looking away from the camera.

A life of service

She rose from co-pilot through the ranks to aircraft commander, also serving as an instructor and evaluator pilot, accumulating rich experiences along the way.
Abingdon Co image of a woman with medium length blonde hair wearing a green flight jacket with patches in an outdoor beach setting is smiling and looking away from the camera.

Los Angeles, CA

T-38 Talon aka "Lawn Dart"

It’s telling that Gabrielle Thorp’s favorite airplane is the Northrop T-38 Talon. The sleek, supersonic T-38, used for decades as a jet trainer and astronaut limo, was and is a special plane, one she lovingly refers to as “a large lawn dart.” The Talon is, she says, “very fast and very cool.” Speed, style and service. 
Abingdon Co image of a woman holding a dark leather jacket with an American flag design on a grassy field
Abingdon Co image of a woman holding a dark leather jacket with an American flag design on a grassy field
Abingdon Co image of a woman holding a dark leather jacket with an American flag design on a grassy field
Abingdon Co image of a woman holding a dark leather jacket with an American flag design on a grassy field

A Career in the Corps

Gabrielle's military career, which spanned more than two decades, was as diverse as it was fulfilling. She rose from co-pilot through the ranks to aircraft commander, also serving as an instructor and evaluator pilot, accumulating rich experiences along the way.
Abingdon Co image of a blonde woman adjusting a bicycle on a rack outdoors wearing a helmet and athletic gear including gloves, bike pants, and a blue long sleeved workout shirt.
Abingdon Co image of a blonde woman adjusting a bicycle on a rack outdoors wearing a helmet and athletic gear including gloves, bike pants, and a blue long sleeved workout shirt.
Abingdon Co image of a blonde woman adjusting a bicycle on a rack outdoors wearing a helmet and athletic gear including gloves, bike pants, and a blue long sleeved workout shirt.
Abingdon Co image of a blonde woman adjusting a bicycle on a rack outdoors wearing a helmet and athletic gear including gloves, bike pants, and a blue long sleeved workout shirt.

Military Destiny

Growing up in a military family, Gabrielle was captivated by aviation and military service from early on. Her father served in the Navy, though not as a pilot; still, his career started her flying future on a slow simmer. In her mid-twenties, as a member of the famous 99’s women’s pilot organization, she attended a meeting at the Phoenix Air National Guard base. It was there she met a pioneering pilot, Marilyn Koon, who back in 1978, became the first female Air National Guard pilot. Koon introduced Gabrielle to the cockpit of a KC-135, the Boeing built Air Force tanker. The effect was immediate. “I went out the next day and applied,” Gabrielle recalls. She had no time to spare, “You’ve got to get it done by the time you're 26.” 

She did get it done, and in the process created for herself an unforgettable life in the skies. 
Abingdon Co. image of an older blonde woman with medium length blonde hair wearing a jacket with a name tag and patch outdoors
Abingdon Co. image of an older blonde woman with medium length blonde hair wearing a jacket with a name tag and patch outdoors
Abingdon Co. image of an older blonde woman with medium length blonde hair wearing a jacket with a name tag and patch outdoors
Abingdon Co. image of an older blonde woman with medium length blonde hair wearing a jacket with a name tag and patch outdoors

Aerial Refueling

One of the most memorable jobs, Thorp says, was commanding aerial refuelers, a type of military flying that is mostly unfamiliar outside a small circle of military aviators. But for Thorp, as for those few others who had the honor, flying those missions was formative. “We flew all around the world,” she recalled, “and those flying duties shaped my career.” One very special mission was to transport a piece of the USS Arizona, destroyed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, killing 1,177 of its crew members. As part of a commemoration of that day, and the permanent memorial to those who lost their lives, Thorp was part of a team that transported a piece of the Arizona from Honolulu to Phoenix. “It was a religious experience,” she shares, “so much emotion, faith, pride, and history packed into that flight.”
Abingdon Co image of a woman holding a jacket over a message sewn on the inside in an outdoor setting.
Abingdon Co image of a woman holding a jacket over a message sewn on the inside in an outdoor setting.
Abingdon Co image of a woman holding a jacket over a message sewn on the inside in an outdoor setting.
Abingdon Co image of a woman holding a jacket over a message sewn on the inside in an outdoor setting.

From Military to Civilian Life

After 20-plus years as a military pilot, transitioning into civilian life posed its own challenges, but she, as always, found a way. As a member of the Air National Guard, Gabrielle she learned to balance her duties as a pilot with a career in real estate. “I didn’t have that traditional military-to-civilian shift; mine was more of a blend,” she explains. Gabrielle misses the flying mission and the sense of defending the nation, noting that civilian aviation lacked that same thrill.
Abingdon Co. image of a woman in a blue floral athletic gear holding a helmet outdoors
Abingdon Co. image of a woman in a blue floral athletic gear holding a helmet outdoors
Abingdon Co. image of a woman in a blue floral athletic gear holding a helmet outdoors
Abingdon Co. image of a woman in a blue floral athletic gear holding a helmet outdoors

To Travel is To Live

As is fitting for a pilot, travel has been a central theme in Gabrielle’s life. In addition to the countless destinations in her logbook, she has explored extraordinary destinations. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro after her sixtieth birthday was transformative. “Standing at the top of Kilimanjaro was a life-changing moment,” she says. More recently, her expedition to the Antarctic Circle fulfilled a lifelong dream. “It was one of the most beautifully remote and spectacular places I’ve ever seen,” she describes, captivated by the stark beauty of it. She described getting dropped by Zodiac on a drifting ice flow. “There we were, 250 of us, floating along with Penguins were jumping up! It was so cool.” 
Abingdon Co image of a woman walking away from the camera on a grassy field with a distant view of water and sky.
Abingdon Co image of a woman walking away from the camera on a grassy field with a distant view of water and sky.
Abingdon Co image of a woman walking away from the camera on a grassy field with a distant view of water and sky.
Abingdon Co image of a woman walking away from the camera on a grassy field with a distant view of water and sky.

Stay Sharp

Looking ahead, Gabrielle emphasizes the importance of staying active and engaged. “Keeping sharp is the key to quality of life as you age,” she asserts. Her philosophy of lifelong learning extends to her involvement with other adventurous women, supporting one another to live their best lives.
What she says about her Abingdon watch

"We're Crew Members because we have a common interest in living the best life we can live,” she says. “I have three watches,” she said, “and I'm probably going to have my fourth by tomorrow.”  Each watch has kind of a different meaning to Gabrielle, though the same function. “They each serve a purpose of functional beauty, representing the crew concept,” a central part of the Abingdon mission. “It just makes me feel special to be part of that that group.”
Abingdon Co. image of a Jackie silver wristwatch with detailed face on a white background
What she wears:
Jackie Watch
Flight Computer, Stopwatch, Military Time, Date Function