Facebook Post Announces “Career Pivot” For Popular F-16 Lead Solo.
In a Facebook put up from Wednesday afternoon, October 27, 2021, USAF Maj. Michelle Curran, name signal “Mace”, introduced she is, “about to make a big career pivot and will be leaving the Active Duty Air Force in the new year”. Maj. Curran is broadly referred to as a member of the U.S. Air Force Flight Demonstration Team, the Thunderbirds. She flies place #5, lead solo, one of the vital seen positions on the group. This is Curran’s third season with the Thunderbirds.
During her three years of task with the Thunderbirds, she rapidly established herself as a extremely seen and constructive influencer for the Air Force by revolutionary use of social media. Curran additionally supplied distinctive and candid transparency about her profession and private life, successfully leveraging social media to convey airshow followers and aviation fans contained in the world of a fighter pilot. Curran outlined what it’s to be a contemporary Air Force officer for a lot of outsiders, offering a helpful perception into the Air Force expertise and showcasing the alternatives of an Air Force profession.
In conversations across the U.S. throughout three air present seasons, Curran advised The Aviationist about her function on the group and its alternative to, “showcase the Air Force experience and let people know what is possible”. During a dialog on the Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan for the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow in 2021, Curran advised TheAviationist.com that, “These are long days sometimes, but this is the best job in the world. The thing that makes it great are the people I serve with- everyone, the team I work alongside every day. We lift each other up, we accomplish more as a team”.
Maj. Curran flew as Thunderbird #6, opposing solo, earlier than her development to Thunderbird #5, lead solo within the 2020/21 airshow season. During the latter a part of her function on the group, many airshows had been cancelled due to the worldwide pandemic. This shift in airshow schedules meant that Maj. Curran’s social media contributions grew to become much more vital for sustaining the relevance of the Thunderbirds for public audiences.
Curran has labored with the Thunderbird group media personnel to convey scintillating in-cockpit viewpoint video of the lead solo’s dynamic routine throughout the Thunderbird demonstration, together with thrilling video of opposing maneuvers with Thunderbird #6 and her signature vertical rolls throughout the group’s “high show”.
In her much less seen however equally essential function with the Thunderbirds, “Mace” Curran served as Chief of Standardization and Evaluation for the group, a management function which is able to positively affect the trajectory of the group in upcoming seasons.
In addition to her function with the Thunderbirds, “Mace” Curran is an skilled F-16 fight fighter pilot with 163 fight hours over Afghanistan in help of operations Resolute Support and Freedom’s Sentinel. She has additionally served as an F-16 Instructor Pilot and Flight Commander on the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas.
Curran holds a Bachelor of Arts diploma in Criminal Justice from the University of St. Thomas and is a 2010 graduate of the Air and Space Basic Course, Squadron Officer College. She went on to full the Squadron Officer School in 2014.
In the Facebook put up saying her profession transition, Michelle Curran wrote: “I’ll be continuing to serve in a part time capacity and pursing some goals in the business world. Meanwhile, the part of this job that I really love is inspiring others. I’m hoping to continue to do that through this platform, public speaking, a children’s book…let’s just say I have a lot of goals and I hope you’ll continue to come along for the journey. I’m also excited to get into the general aviation world and hopefully also try my hand at helicopters. My presence here won’t end when I hand off the #5 and I have a lot more to share with you!”
Tom Demerly is a characteristic author, journalist, photographer and editorialist who has written articles which are revealed world wide on TheAviationist.com, TACAIRNET.com, Outside journal, Business Insider, We Are The Mighty, The Dearborn Press & Guide, National Interest, Russia’s authorities media outlet Sputnik, and lots of different publications. Demerly studied journalism at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan. Tom Demerly served in an intelligence gathering unit as a member of the U.S. Army and Michigan National Guard. His army expertise consists of being Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army Infantry School at Ft. Benning, Georgia (Cycle C-6-1) and as a Scout Observer in a reconnaissance unit, Company “F”, 425th INF (RANGER/AIRBORNE), Long Range Surveillance Unit (LRSU). Demerly is an skilled parachutist, holds superior SCUBA certifications, has climbed the very best mountains on three continents and visited all seven continents and has flown a number of kinds of gentle plane.
