Thunderbirds Training Flight • Capt. Michelle Curran "Opposing Solo"

[@kevinhall9485]

I know her personally; a great person and a great friend. SO PROUD even to this day

[@tammycox9789]

Is she a 5 star 🌟 general yet?

[@firegod20max]

No she is done flying for them I believe. 😊 She was a great pilot.

[@michaelmoore2802]

Brilliant pilot !!

[@lancecahill5486]

Your service to our country is greatly appreciated, Major Curran.

[@warjunky1992]

@Immortalis she's a (RET) Major right now.

[@AaronDeHart]

@Immortalis at the time of the video she was. She got out at the rank of Major :)

[@omaverick2870]

@Snapshot 🤦🏻‍♂

[@s.j.hunter3995]

Love her hand signals, prior departure.

[@fyremanbill]

My goodness young lady, you are AMAZING! I'm beat just watching you. Thank you for your dedication to the USAF.

[@nigelappleton2963]

Fascinating, the effort required for the knife edge pass and the strain on the right hand but above all I was mesmerised by the concentration in those eyes. Love it.

[@rfleming7883]

So fast and so close to the earth. Violent maneuvers executed with complete precision. Now that is a pilot!

[@TheBURTTO]

Congrats Michelle, Way to go. Go Medford!

[@bcask61]

Thanks for the ridealong Capt. Curran!

[@spionsilver9626]

this video aged a little .. you should adress her as major now :P

[@lvlartin27]

Great footage. Thanks for sharing it with us. No Airshow this year so my fix will have to be KZbin video's of planes and Airshows prior.

[@nightfall22]

Omg so relaxing... I can jut relax and watch her skill... it’s hard for me to sleep and her flying puts me in such a state of ease and calmness I doze. Saved this video! Thank you Major!

[@Primus54]

@Snapshot Major… 🙄

[@mrguitar5051]

She makes girls dream for the skies ❤️

[@robertbauer8497]

Capt Curran makes it all look smooth and easy !!!

[@andyanderson3883]

Fantastic work. I'm in awe, Capt. Curran.

[@davemacri9171]

Start of this video I was a little sleepy, now I feel like I won’t sleep for a week. Great vid

[@KiloWhiskey716]

This has to be the greatest job in the world! I can only imagine what it feels like to be a pilot.

[@whiteribbonman1]

When I was a boy and teenager I had to settle for “I can only imagine” because I had to deal with parents that held me back. Their fun came first. As an adult, go for it.

[@fredclark1563]

whiteribbonman1 n

[@stiffcross]

As a former civil air patrol cadet AWESOME!! 😎

[@MrTonyharrell]

Hey, I used to wear that Air Combat patch! But in my day it was called Tactical Air Command. Same patch, just as lethal.

[@FlyersAviation]

Another Great Video by the Thunderbirds! The Blue Angels should post videos on KZbin like this as well.👍

[@solodad7999]

Major, thanks to you and all of our military personnel who are & have served America! Great vid, wish I could have heard comm. Very interesting to watch you and the aircraft and the little details we never think of when the planes go screaming past.

[@steveholmes5207]

Amazing almost like being in the aircraft

[@firstlast9731]

Amazing video

[@BeechSportBill]

I saw an RQ-1 landing at Indian Springs as I drove passed in a bus heading for Mercury end of October , 2000

[@Danistheman632]

Mace definetly knows how to fly that f-16, she actually was a combat pilot, so she has had a lot of training in this type of jet

[@BonesAv]

All thunderbird pilots were a combat fighter pilot.

[@trob0914]

1000 hours minimum as a combat rated pilot is required. That's not to say they need to fly 1000 hours in a combat situation but have a minimum amount of hours in " fighter" jets!!🇺🇲🇺🇲

[@keymind117]

Yeah no shit dude, you gonna simp harder?

[@waistgunner3930]

I wouldn't walk across the street to see her, much less fly a kite.... especially one looking like a TBs F16

[@malcolmcossar6447]

Good to see women pilot's in the Thunderbirds.You know she's good otherwise she wouldn't have been chosen for the team as well as being one of the solos!

[@whiteribbonman1]

Wow, impressed I am! My viewpoint is the same. I love it when I find videos showcasing her. To me she is a great ambassador to girls and teenaged women for aviation. Thumbs-Up #15 I am, very early Saturday 23 May 2020.

[@MrFloppyHare]

There were female Thunderbirds pilots before her.

[@ArashiKageTaro]

FloppyHares K

[@whiteribbonman1]

+FloppyHares You trying to rain on her parade? 😆 I guess you think you are telling me something that you think I did not know? I HAVE done much research on The Thunderbirds, The Blue Angels, England’s Royal Air Force Red Arrows and Canada’s Royal Air Force Snowbirds. I watch them all with excitement. Only The Thunderbirds and Snowbirds have a woman aerobatic Pilot.

[@MrFloppyHare]

@@whiteribbonman1 First of all, I wasn't replying to you. Secondly, I was just stating a fact. Thirdly, no I'm not "trying to rain on her parade"; I greatly respect Capt. Curran, as a member of the Thunderbirds.

[@SquiggyWigginz]

Was she signing Prince, "I would die for you" at the start? Hehe

[@Shanks344]

That was very cool, I'd like to know what the hand signals mean. The whole thing looks like fun

[@jaybeckman3749]

Fun hand jive with her crew chief and the other maintainers on the ramp. Each pilot has their own little "routine" when they "throw horns"

[@whiteribbonman1]

Thumbs-UP #298 I am Saturday morning 23 May 2020! I would love to see her do those hand signals without the helmet on, now THAT would be a treat. 😀 She comes across as a woman that is not afraid to show her fun side.

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

She was classified at the time this training video was made.

[@gugabrasa]

Good job! Great pilot!

[@badboy10350]

Cool hand signals, inspiration to all girls out there that want to become a pilot! AIM HIGH!!!

[@ocsteved]

Fun stuff Michelle...#5-6

[@evanlom1075]

Nice flying with ya Mace. (Virtually of course)

[@tommynikon2283]

Michelle's callsign should be.....BAD-ASS; as you'd expect. Fantastic POV/airmanship....super cool, and HUGE Respect to what you've overcome and more importantly, ACHIEVED. Yowza...rockstar.

[@whiteribbonman1]

Yeah but if you get Mace in your face you become incapacitated! GO MACE!!

[@tammycox9789]

Major great job love watching you fly. Thank you for your service 🙏

[@josewilderpatinoalzate6743]

Muchas felicitaciones cap. Michelle gracias por venir a mi pais colombia 👍👍

[@qwe-ju3uv]

Thnks for thses videos but what we actually want is the HUD view or at least the front view

[@onyxcamaro]

Wonder if shes flies the viper during active time because she makes this look effortless!!!! Great ride along!!!!

[@geoffreycrews5060]

Thunderbird pilots are required to have at least 1000 hours in tactical jets(if I'm not mistaken), either the F16 or the F15 so odds are good she is a Viper driver. Most of the Thunderbird pilots come frome Viper Squadrons.

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

She’s a natural. She did the training videos shortly after Basic.

[@Primus54]

Yes, she was a Viper pilot out of flight training.

[@renerich]

She is so cool, love her.

[@michaelpass2176]

Nice flying Major!

[@chapingaryjr]

Love her call sign to MACE....

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

There was a big fight over the callsign “&” with The Boss dubbing “Mace”, “My Ace!”

[@xeechet6290]

love the salutes!

[@pioluna2691]

amazing person

[@musicheadt]

How cool is this woman? She could probably sort , pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.......roll them up for a bank trip later in the day.......and still launch an AMRAM at you while flying!

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

She’s not into sorting change, I heard her mommy wanted her to settle down & become an accountant right before she joined the Airforce!

[@GuyFromSC]

Was that a double dirty roll take-off? Sheeesh

[@missingrighty]

She is #5 now, lead solo

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

Thunderbird’s compete for there spot. This was a training video when she was new. Her FIRST Thunderbird position was 6 flying an F14 if I remember correctly which gives an idea of how good she is. She moved up to Thunderbird 4. If she’s down to Thunderbird 5 then some whiper snapper beat her ought of Thunderbird 4!

[@siouxperb5570]

@@amylynnmcguyer158 "Her FIRST Thunderbird position was 6 flying an F14 if I remember correctly" Are you being serious, or just a chucklehead? F-!4 with the Thunderbirds? 😂

[@quangtruongta811]

Warm-up time for the place to take off, how long are you ?

[@vahidjahangiri7104]

Respect.

[@ScaledVideo]

Oh man, even practice looks like fun.

[@atccrazy629]

I find this strangely calming.

[@robertpuckett4072]

Wow. Would like to have a dual screen to see out the cockpit to see the other jet she is flying with at times. .

[@slbrick56]

Are the glove mandatory for flying with the Thunderbirds? They look a bit big and thick. I would think that it would be difficult to get a good feel for the controls, switches, dials, touchscreen with those gloves on. There must be a reason. Can you tell me why?

[@aeroclef]

It gives a good grip.

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

She was classified at the time this training video was filmed. The gloves were to hide her hands in the public video. There was an attempt at video editing on them at one point but gloves are cheaper & easier. Female pilots are BIG targets of foreign enemies of the USA.

[@jacobcikmichelle2829]

Does Anyone know what the hand gestures mean?

[@bernabecaneta6154]

Hi good upternoon major currant God Bless yuor flight my name is Bernabe asid çañeta from phillipens castellejos zambales ❤️❤️❤️😊

[@davidstobbe1387]

salute you Captain, you make us PROUD Eagle !

[@rodbutler8069]

David Stobbe Now promoted to MAJOR!

[@vegasbob0075]

I think she is the only Thunderbird Pilot to fly two different positions ,6 which is the position she flew in this video and then 5 when she was a Major .

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

You compete with other Thunderbird’s for those positions. She won position 5 and then a few years later position 4. Her Grandpa was a World War 2 fighter pilot for the USA stationed in England & Italy & then a test pilot testing new aircraft for the USA Airforce.

[@vegasbob0075]

@@amylynnmcguyer158 I saw in her uniform that she had 5 and 6 on her uniform when she was a captain and major ,I never saw her with a 4 on any of her uniforms

[@siouxperb5570]

Thunderbird pilots fly the same position for a two year tour of duty with the team. In Maj Curran's case, she was the left solo, meaning she flew the left outpost position in Delta. The only "position" switch is when a solo pilot completes a year in the demo. They move from opposing solo to lead solo, and changing the number on their jet and flight suit from 6 to 5. They do take on a few maneuvers in that new role (the inverted jet on the Calypso pass, for example) but they remain on whichever side of the Delta they started on for both demonstration years. Amy is also incorrect, in that Maj Curran never flew the slot (4).

[@boudibla4011]

1:20 Thumb Up, Salute, and Tag...

[@KiloWhiskey716]

Gotta be the best job In the world to do!!

[@richardfenner6096]

Lovely precise flying, Mace. What's your nose down trim pressure set at? From your hand shaking, 25 lbs +? Ridge, an old F-4 analogue guy...;-)

[@cbspock1701]

Very cool

[@BrigidSamhain]

So, who pulls the Eject ? The passenger or pilot?

[@slappymcgillicuddy7532]

if it is like the F15D, there is a switch that the front seater can set to either punch both pilots out or have the ejection sequence separated, or the back seater could punch themselves out

[@NeBiStR]

Sometimes I think about situations like this. You know: "I could do this in my younger years." The problem is that I don't even have 5% ball capacity of this actual pilot. Mace. Wow.

[@BucketListCoachWebShow]

How can I score an interview for my podcast?

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

She was classified at the time of these training videos.

[@Gokraut]

you are an amazing woman!!! rock on

[@tbuff91]

She's a bad ass

[@fatbastardinapan1466]

What are you looking at to your right? Is it your trajectory?

[@thomasnelson2463]

I guess the Navy has some kind of team too, has anyone heard of it?

[@whiteribbonman1]

Wow, I have never seen your question before! The United States Navy has the Blue Angels.

[@MrFloppyHare]

"Has anyone heard of it"? LOL!

[@BillWogan]

You must be talking about the guys who do this without a g-suit

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

The Airforce Thunderbird’s & Navy Top Guns are dual trained meaning they train for both & switch jobs periodically. She had to pass both Airforce Basic Training, Airforce Combat Training and Navy Basic Training to be dual trained.

[@Danny-jb6pg]

blue angels

[@michaelpass2176]

Are you locate inTucson AZ?

[@AngryVikingBiker]

This is great an all but I just wanna ask why is there no sound through out the whole video?

[@Danny-jb6pg]

there is sound

[@wehttam1461]

That was a practice flight, am I wrong?

[@MrFloppyHare]

As per the title, "training flight", yes.

[@wehttam1461]

@@MrFloppyHare HAHAHAHAHAHA i felt sooo stupid 😂

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

Yes! It was actually a very early training flight in her career.

[@hpygolkyone]

Negative Ghostrider The Pattern Is Full

[@kylecross129]

Pattern is full? of what?

[@LaylaSweetman]

WOW 👠 💪 🇺🇸

[@michaelpass2176]

What is with all the hand signals and what do they mean?

[@boudibla4011]

3:40 "Drop-the MIC"

[@docb.9908]

If there was some audio other than jet noise I might have given this video a thumbs up.

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

This is put out by the USA Airforce not Hollywood. The video editing in it is USA Airforce not Hollywood. Hollywood has great music but most of there Actors/Actresses can’t do the stunts & flying you see in movies without a stunt double who is probably USA Military.

[@sharonlee7111]

👍🏼🇺🇸😍😍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@PAS_2020]

Wish we could hear pilot audio. If not at least it would be nice to have a music background. This was just a little boring.

[@trob0914]

In the great " FIFI'S" opinion a fighter pilot is A " fighter" pilot, male or female, it makes no difference to the A/C your flying!!🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@rwbishop]

Why no communications audio I wonder?

[@danielh1708]

Just a small go-pro for the video.

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

She was Classified at the time this training video was filmed.

[@aerofly2]

A fascinating film of a very worthy pilot, proving that gender is no bar to the top of the tree. I would love to have heard some of the radio transmissions between the aircraft.

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

Men are more consistent flyers at the top. Women have yet to make Thunderbird 3, 2, or 1. I got a preteen redheaded girl who has kinetic skills like Thunderbird 1.

[@Primus54]

@@amylynnmcguyer158 Not true. There have been five female Thunderbird pilots including Major Curran. One of them was #8 and never flew the demo. Two (including Curran) have been solos, the other two part of the diamond.

[@guymcgivney4311]

It's okay video we should have more calms and more forward looking view and a Wonder why the Air Force wears full oxygen mask and the angels Don't? But I have an interesting question for any text out there aeroteks the variant F-16 falcon / viper versus the f-18 super hornet which variant aerodynamically is more stable for these type of maneuvers each gentlemen perform as we all know the Angels fly very very close but then five inches I don't think I've seen the Thunderbirds fly within a foot or two they're a reason for that does he have 16 a less stable platform for the maneuvers? Either way all them gentlemen are credit to our military.

[@JoséFerreira-h3d]

Olá tudo bom gostei muito de você beijos tchau

[@outabeat]

Why do the T-birds wear oxygen masks and the Blue Angels dont?

[@geoffreycrews5060]

Blue Angels can't wear a G-suit due to the F18 being a center stick( control stick is between the legs) with the g-suit inflating and deflating rapidly due to the gas on the aircraft, precision flying is impossible. Any invuntary control input could lead to a collision. I think the mask only works if you are wearing the g-suit as well. Thunderbirds fly the F16 which is a side-stick so they don't have that issue. They wear a g-suit and mask.

[@outabeat]

@@geoffreycrews5060 That is some fun fact info right there! Thanks!

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

The Airforce outfits the plane for the Pilot. She is nearsighted, so they outfitted her plane with a Prescription windshield when she changed to a plane they could do that in. Only her visor is prescription in these EARLY training videos. This is new information to old WW2 Pilots et al who had to have perfect vision.

[@WestendAngst]

@@amylynnmcguyer158 Rx windshield? Is that really true?

[@WestendAngst]

@@outabeat Speed jeans

[@davidandersen9696]

Wonder if they ever fly over area 51

[@BeechSportBill]

Would it be cool if they all carried and dropped practice bombs - precision bombing?

[@slappymcgillicuddy7532]

@@knect9155 they were explosions set off on the ground by EOD, they would never drop any sort of bombs unless it was in a range.

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

Flour Bombs.

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

USA Airforce Thunderbird’s flour bombed a USA Army Base FOR disrespecting female Thunderbird Pilot’s including”Mace” and for attempting to rape a female Thunderbird off duty Colonel at a shared restaurant bar. It was all a bit like “Star Trek” Captain Kirk with fists flying and Military Police being called!

[@BeechSportBill]

Can anybody decode the gang signs?

[@Xiph1980]

Curve ball left spin shoulder height over the left side of the plate.

[@slappymcgillicuddy7532]

they are not gang signs.

[@michaelpass2176]

Why isn’t there all female flight team

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

There is…The Flying Falcons last I heard & MAC is on there team. There are very few female pilots. The skill set is rare and coupled with drawing ability not Engineering ability. After recruiting the Pilot, he or she has to pass Basic Training & Combat Training. Only 7% of females who enter Basic Training pass Basic Training without Steroid use. “MACE” is a rare female who passed USAF Basic Training prior to voluntary Steroids being approved for use by recruits in Basic Training. She also passed Combat Training which for the USA Airforce is “The Pike’s Peak Challenge,” a marathon run with pack up and down Pike’s Peak immediately after Basic Training without steroids.

[@brokenATM]

Because there shouldn’t be discrimination of gender in anything

[@siouxperb5570]

@@amylynnmcguyer158 Maj Curran was never enlisted, and therefore never went through basic training.

[@michaelpass2176]

No comms between a/c,

[@ynot7262]

Mace... I guess she's got a can of that stuff in her purse...wow she's good...

[@glernnturner1974]

Bring da thunder “m”ace Hi lo thxk u ,lots of aloha 808

[@pingstag]

United States Air Force

[@MrFloppyHare]

So, that's what the USAF on her helmet means?

[@phillipsimmons5]

Yes USAF is United States Air Force

[@MrFloppyHare]

@@phillipsimmons5 Duh. I was being sarcastic. ;-)

[@Skyraider42]

00:28:00 You can see #5 who is inverted reflected in her face mask.

[@frankiechileman479]

☝️✌️👊🙌👐💪👍🖖🎤🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@peeraphon1998]

ข้าน้อย...ด้อย..ความสามารถ..ให้อภ้ย ! อาวุโส โส สิ !

[@peeraphon1998]

วอ.608 - วอ. 609

[@peeraphon1998]

Take me up . Control.

[@peeraphon1998]

Hi speed . Thender bird.

[@CabdiShsjsuje]

Taj

[@MOEDURHAM]

the only way to vape

[@cbspock1701]

Why do the Thunderbirds wear masks, and the Blue Angels don't?

[@gregory46236]

12:20

[@xsolokiller3x472]

Are beautiful USA women fly higher

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

Mace did some friendly flying briefly for Saudi Air as a Pilot exchange program.

[@ceb7422]

This video is about 100 minutes long. That is a long time to be sitting in the same spot. How sore is your fanny after a flight like this?

[@brokenATM]

It’s only 69 nice and also why would you make a comment like that?

[@rustusandroid]

No wonder why they haven't been pulling the G's they used to...

[@amylynnmcguyer158]

They pull more G’s than they used to…the planes are more advanced and better made than they were in the 1960’s!

[@brokenATM]

Oh go cry yourself to sleep you 1960s mouthbreather.

[@wilsontoddd5253]

Go. Thunderbirds. Go. Come. Back. To. San Antonio. Texas. We. Are. Your. True. Home. Not. Vagas.