Michelle 'Mace' Curran

No, definitely not. People, when I was on the Thunderbirds, would always be like, how did you get to this spot? Which is just such an open-ended question. I was like, well, how much time do you have? But I always would say that I kind of just stumbled into it, which is half joking, but sort of true. I grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin. kind of in the middle of nowhere.

No, definitely not. People, when I was on the Thunderbirds, would always be like, how did you get to this spot? Which is just such an open-ended question. I was like, well, how much time do you have? But I always would say that I kind of just stumbled into it, which is half joking, but sort of true. I grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin. kind of in the middle of nowhere.

I grew up in the country. I was a really outdoorsy kid, very adventurous, but super shy, super quiet. I would be the last kid in class that would want to get in front of my peers, that would want to raise my hand. I was just a little bit of a wallflower. And I was also driven though. So kind of a dichotomy there with being pretty quiet and introverted.

I grew up in the country. I was a really outdoorsy kid, very adventurous, but super shy, super quiet. I would be the last kid in class that would want to get in front of my peers, that would want to raise my hand. I was just a little bit of a wallflower. And I was also driven though. So kind of a dichotomy there with being pretty quiet and introverted.

I grew up in the country. I was a really outdoorsy kid, very adventurous, but super shy, super quiet. I would be the last kid in class that would want to get in front of my peers, that would want to raise my hand. I was just a little bit of a wallflower. And I was also driven though. So kind of a dichotomy there with being pretty quiet and introverted.

But behind the scenes, I was working my butt off, which led to me being A straight A student, which eventually opened up a bunch of doors for me, but not a military family, not an aviation family. I never went to a single air show as a child, which is so funny now, but I needed a way to pay for college and Air Force ROTC kind of filtered to the top. after exploring some options.

But behind the scenes, I was working my butt off, which led to me being A straight A student, which eventually opened up a bunch of doors for me, but not a military family, not an aviation family. I never went to a single air show as a child, which is so funny now, but I needed a way to pay for college and Air Force ROTC kind of filtered to the top. after exploring some options.

But behind the scenes, I was working my butt off, which led to me being A straight A student, which eventually opened up a bunch of doors for me, but not a military family, not an aviation family. I never went to a single air show as a child, which is so funny now, but I needed a way to pay for college and Air Force ROTC kind of filtered to the top. after exploring some options.

And that was how I started down that path. But even for the first couple of years in that program, I was a criminal justice major. I wanted to be an FBI agent or work for the CIA. And I still didn't know that I wanted to be a pilot. That kind of came halfway through college when I actually saw my first fighter jet. I'd never seen one.

And that was how I started down that path. But even for the first couple of years in that program, I was a criminal justice major. I wanted to be an FBI agent or work for the CIA. And I still didn't know that I wanted to be a pilot. That kind of came halfway through college when I actually saw my first fighter jet. I'd never seen one.

And that was how I started down that path. But even for the first couple of years in that program, I was a criminal justice major. I wanted to be an FBI agent or work for the CIA. And I still didn't know that I wanted to be a pilot. That kind of came halfway through college when I actually saw my first fighter jet. I'd never seen one.

Here I am probably 20 years old, never seen a fighter aircraft fly. but I'm about to be in the Air Force in just a couple of years because you owe some time back when they pay for your education. And we visited a base and I saw a jet taking off in full afterburner with like the loud jet noise that vibrates your body, the afterburner flame shooting out the back. And I was like,

Here I am probably 20 years old, never seen a fighter aircraft fly. but I'm about to be in the Air Force in just a couple of years because you owe some time back when they pay for your education. And we visited a base and I saw a jet taking off in full afterburner with like the loud jet noise that vibrates your body, the afterburner flame shooting out the back. And I was like,

Here I am probably 20 years old, never seen a fighter aircraft fly. but I'm about to be in the Air Force in just a couple of years because you owe some time back when they pay for your education. And we visited a base and I saw a jet taking off in full afterburner with like the loud jet noise that vibrates your body, the afterburner flame shooting out the back. And I was like,

And holy crap, I want to do that. It was just like a visceral reaction. I got so excited. I had never experienced that before. And it was an immediate decision to pivot and figure out what I needed to do to become a pilot.

And holy crap, I want to do that. It was just like a visceral reaction. I got so excited. I had never experienced that before. And it was an immediate decision to pivot and figure out what I needed to do to become a pilot.

And holy crap, I want to do that. It was just like a visceral reaction. I got so excited. I had never experienced that before. And it was an immediate decision to pivot and figure out what I needed to do to become a pilot.

So I appreciate that you had that moment where you're like, wait a minute, this is calling to me like this is something bigger than me. Right. I totally, totally get that. However, most people, when they have that moment, they try to dismiss it. Like, who am I to say I could fly a fighter jet? Like, what do I know about this?

So I appreciate that you had that moment where you're like, wait a minute, this is calling to me like this is something bigger than me. Right. I totally, totally get that. However, most people, when they have that moment, they try to dismiss it. Like, who am I to say I could fly a fighter jet? Like, what do I know about this?

So I appreciate that you had that moment where you're like, wait a minute, this is calling to me like this is something bigger than me. Right. I totally, totally get that. However, most people, when they have that moment, they try to dismiss it. Like, who am I to say I could fly a fighter jet? Like, what do I know about this?