Great USAF Thunderbird Opposing Solo Cockpit Video - USAF Maj. Michelle “Mace” Curran, Thunderbird 6

Fly along with USAF Thunderbirds Opposing Solo pilot No. 6 in this extended cockpit cam video. Great action, and the roar of the jet becomes hypnotically soothing after awhile. Hang by your harness after a surprise half snap roll; yank and bank over the desert. Neat action and skilled piloting in this video makes one want to join the Air Force, learn to fly, and pay your taxes. Well, two out of three ain't bad... The original video runs more than an hour; we excerpted this product to hit the highlights while still giving the feel of launching from Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, flying to the desert practice range, and returning to Nellis. Have you subscribed to the Airailimages Channel on KZbin? Thanks! And here's a link to another Thunderbirds video from the Airailimages Channel: • Fantastic fast time la...
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.

[@Dcat142]

Thank god, A cockpit video with no music!

[@airailimages]

It's all about the raw footage -- sometimes it comes with ambient audio, sometimes it does not.

[@chapterrv]

The engine noise is our type of music 😎

[@buddyclark8642]

So casual and relaxing

[@TomBlaze]

This is a bad woman. I can’t wait to show my daughter her videos when she is older and show her she can do whatever she wants. ❤️

[@renerich]

Love this Girl, so skilled and professional, major Curran you rock, so Down to Earth when she flyes that plane. 😉😊

[@nightflight6877]

That knife-edge pass was incredible.

[@tedzehnder961]

A lot of these pilots fly commercial airlines when they retire after their military service, which is why I don`t get nervous while traveling through out the continental US.

[@lovelightshining4444]

Absolutely 💯% Greatest Pilots on Planet Earth! #Thunderbirdpilots These were my hero's growing up on a military base in the Air Force. And are still today, and will Always be!!!!! SAC USA

[@airailimages]

Yes -- they have been great over so many decades. Hey, thanks for watching and commenting.

[@F16crewchiefgetsome]

She was one of my pilots! 🤘🏻

[@airailimages]

Cool! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@jimconradgobot7907]

I love America From Philippines and Australia

[@NICHOLASRGLORIOSO]

MACE , YOUR AWESOME!!!❤❤❤❤

[@RTB88KEYS]

As a Rockn rolla soul and blues musician I feel at one with the keys playing with the band and stretching out when your solo comes around . This pilot is a perfect example of professional training mixed in with a little bit of fun and putting the training to the max. Having said that we musicians have our groupies she now has a new fan .

[@airailimages]

Well put.

[@michaelmoore2802]

She is an ace pilot...

[@ZenZaBill]

"Well, two out of three ain't bad... " LoL... yep.

[@Nio-Neo]

Great flight , you go girl ! That's my kind of lady!

[@SharpEdgeStandardOfficial]

SAM!!!!… break right, break right

[@matthewwalters3222]

Cool perspective 😎🇺🇸

[@lw216316]

TWO WORLDS 1. in cockpit - hear the noise, feel the Gs, watch the world spinning 'round and those watching from the ground see the pilot control the aircraft 2. out of cockpit - see the beauty of the dance in the sky and the plane spinning 'round and the one on the ground controls the dance I have gone to airshows most of my life and enjoyed the T-birds - world number 1 Now I also fly an F-16 Thunderbird remote control airplane - world number 2 Each world has its uniqueness and enjoyment. I will never get to be inside an F-16 T-bird doing these things. I have been a passenger inside a small airplane doing aerobatics and felt the Gs and seen the world spinning 'round. Flying my RC F-16 T-bird I do the same moves as the solo pilots.

[@giljeep]

waoooo!!! je ne monterais pas avec elle!!!!!sacré pilote merçi pour la vidéo

[@leya_f]

Awesome!!!

[@elolototobis8598]

This should be Mj Curran!

[@sherrysnyder6410]

Watching the view, looking aft, makes me nauseous. Can't see anything coming, and hope for the best!

[@Sliick_Back]

SOLOS RULE

[@drjaye1962]

Hey is dat Mace WhoHoo

[@bertiekoch5322]

Just a question, in this clip, few seconds before 13 minutes, she goes into a easy right turn and while in this turn, she take her right hand of the side stick and do some hand flexing. My question, is there something holding the side stick in place? Doesn't it have a 'return to centre' function? Thank you. Great show Mace, by the way :-)

[@sacman68]

Just guessing but I'm thinking that the other hand may be maintaining the turn? Good question.

[@vegasbob0075]

What is she saying wither sign language ?

[@tkraft63]

Random signs for fun

[@user-nb8pb3xt8q]

🙂👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤✈Michael Curran

[@user-nb8pb3xt8q]

🙂👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻❤✈✈✈

[@airailimages]

Something really different: The only flying XP-82 Twin Mustang in the world: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3elqYdrisenaLc

[@bill_cleared_for_approach]

What camera do you use?

[@airailimages]

This is footage from the Thunderbirds; not sure what they use. For our own productions in the field we use Sony FDR-AX53 plus various action cams like the GoPro 8 and the simple Mobius.

[@texasag6297]

Tighten that belt up girl..

[@tree356]

‘Merica.

[@cincinnatikidd]

Comms??? Great video though

[@cincinnatikidd]

Exceptionally clean. Not a speck of dust or debris (even upside down!). Mace, send a thank you to your crew for a job well done. Whar do the hand signals mean when taxing out?

[@Crystal-2028]

WHAT 5 IS SUPPOSED TO DO THE ROLL 6 IS TO DO THE SPLIT S

[@siouxperb5570]

Are you referring to the takeoff maneuver?

[@Crystal-2028]

@@siouxperb5570 yeah

[@siouxperb5570]

@@Crystal-2028 Actually, right solo profile does the roll, left solo profile does the spit-S. In this case, Maj Curran, as right solo profile, does the roll as 6, and then will do it as 5 as lead solo as well. When a new Thunderbird solo pilot joins the team, they take a solo profile with a set of maneuvers that they will perform for their two year tour on the team. They will fly a set position within the delta for that two years also, either left or right, regardless which number they wear, acting as lead or opposing solo. The only slight deviation from this is that regardless of which solo profile they fly, the lead solo (5) is always the inverted jet in the calypso pass and reflection pass. It's easiest to remember it this way: In the Blue Angels, the maneuvers stay with each jet. With the Thunderbirds, the maneuvers stay with the pilot.

[@barryrothman4692]

Not a Thunderbird flight suit. USAF pilot Ret.!

[@airailimages]

I'm guessing that was because it was a practice session and not a public air show.

[@totenkopf999]

Why is he wearing an oxygen mask and the Blue Angles don't?

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

That's a female pilot there home skillet.

[@brianmarak9689]

So smooth. Good flight. This woman is good!

[@ModelAV8RChannel]

Yep. Michelle is a Badass. Has to be...she's a Thunderbird! Ground breaking step. Proud of her. Anybody that say's anyone can't be whatever they want in this country is delusional. All it takes is one half the motivation this woman has and nothing can hold you back. God bless America.

[@TheHoff305]

Blue Angels need to be more precise on the stick so g-suit and oxygen would hinder them a little. Plus they usually don't fly above 15,000ft.

[@772pilot]

edward hoff you’re right about the g suit, but that’s a different issue. Tbirds use the mask because the F16 has an APU that runs on hydrazine, which is toxic. The mask is a safety measure in the event of a leak.

[@clearjet]

Sloppy. It's why she is no longer a member.

[@airailimages]

Well, that's interesting. Here's from a USAF fact sheet about the Thunderbirds: "Officers serve a two-year assignment with the squadron, while enlisted personnel serve three to four". Major Curran joined the Thunderbirds in 2019 and left the team in December 2021. Sounds like a full tour.

[@clearjet]

@@airailimages Still sloppy.

[@edcook9747]

They boot em if they are sloppy. They wont let them fly sloppy even to keep a woman. A disaster is worse than booting a woman. You must have had a bad experience with a woman? Blew you off maybe?