Michelle 'Mace' Curran

For people who don't understand, haven't been to one of your shows, because I'm visualizing, you know, the planes stacked on top of each other and one's upside down. But for people who haven't seen it, can you just explain a little bit about what really goes on, what you guys were doing?

For people who don't understand, haven't been to one of your shows, because I'm visualizing, you know, the planes stacked on top of each other and one's upside down. But for people who haven't seen it, can you just explain a little bit about what really goes on, what you guys were doing?

Yeah. So I'll give you kind of the broad description if no one or for people that haven't seen the Thunderbirds. So six aircraft, F-16s, fighter aircrafts. They've probably seen Top Gun, so kind of similar. That's the F-18, but same idea. We would fly in formation, all six of us, and we would be anywhere from 18 inches to three feet apart.

Yeah. So I'll give you kind of the broad description if no one or for people that haven't seen the Thunderbirds. So six aircraft, F-16s, fighter aircrafts. They've probably seen Top Gun, so kind of similar. That's the F-18, but same idea. We would fly in formation, all six of us, and we would be anywhere from 18 inches to three feet apart.

Yeah. So I'll give you kind of the broad description if no one or for people that haven't seen the Thunderbirds. So six aircraft, F-16s, fighter aircrafts. They've probably seen Top Gun, so kind of similar. That's the F-18, but same idea. We would fly in formation, all six of us, and we would be anywhere from 18 inches to three feet apart.

During that, we do rolls, loops, so we're going fully upside down. We're doing all kinds of precise maneuvering very close together. And those are at speeds of over five, well, up to 500 miles an hour in formation, over 400 miles an hour consistently. Okay. Then you have the solos, which is the role that I played. So I was the lead solo, number five.

During that, we do rolls, loops, so we're going fully upside down. We're doing all kinds of precise maneuvering very close together. And those are at speeds of over five, well, up to 500 miles an hour in formation, over 400 miles an hour consistently. Okay. Then you have the solos, which is the role that I played. So I was the lead solo, number five.

During that, we do rolls, loops, so we're going fully upside down. We're doing all kinds of precise maneuvering very close together. And those are at speeds of over five, well, up to 500 miles an hour in formation, over 400 miles an hour consistently. Okay. Then you have the solos, which is the role that I played. So I was the lead solo, number five.

And number five and number six, the solos will split off from the other four aircraft. And we do the maneuver you described where one person's upside down, one person's right side up. And there's some trickery and angles that are being played with there to make it look like the jets are touching when they obviously aren't. but still very close together.

And number five and number six, the solos will split off from the other four aircraft. And we do the maneuver you described where one person's upside down, one person's right side up. And there's some trickery and angles that are being played with there to make it look like the jets are touching when they obviously aren't. but still very close together.

And number five and number six, the solos will split off from the other four aircraft. And we do the maneuver you described where one person's upside down, one person's right side up. And there's some trickery and angles that are being played with there to make it look like the jets are touching when they obviously aren't. but still very close together.

My second and third year on the team, when I became the lead solo, I was always the one that was inverted. So I spent a lot of time hanging upside down. It was actually a pretty cool role to be in as the only female pilot because I had my hair braided and I have my helmet sitting here behind me. My braid would hang out the back of my helmet.

My second and third year on the team, when I became the lead solo, I was always the one that was inverted. So I spent a lot of time hanging upside down. It was actually a pretty cool role to be in as the only female pilot because I had my hair braided and I have my helmet sitting here behind me. My braid would hang out the back of my helmet.

My second and third year on the team, when I became the lead solo, I was always the one that was inverted. So I spent a lot of time hanging upside down. It was actually a pretty cool role to be in as the only female pilot because I had my hair braided and I have my helmet sitting here behind me. My braid would hang out the back of my helmet.

And when I would fly upside down, the braid would stick up. And so you could actually see it from the ground and you would see it in photos. And it was like this beacon to women and little girls that they could see from the ground if they look closely.

And when I would fly upside down, the braid would stick up. And so you could actually see it from the ground and you would see it in photos. And it was like this beacon to women and little girls that they could see from the ground if they look closely.

And when I would fly upside down, the braid would stick up. And so you could actually see it from the ground and you would see it in photos. And it was like this beacon to women and little girls that they could see from the ground if they look closely.

So that was really cool to, to be in the role where I was, you know, the pilot that was flying upside down all the time, but yeah, we would fly as fast as we could without breaking the sound barrier. So over 600 miles an hour for people that are familiar with G forces, I would pull up to nine G's, which is nine times the weight of your body pushing down on you.

So that was really cool to, to be in the role where I was, you know, the pilot that was flying upside down all the time, but yeah, we would fly as fast as we could without breaking the sound barrier. So over 600 miles an hour for people that are familiar with G forces, I would pull up to nine G's, which is nine times the weight of your body pushing down on you.

So that was really cool to, to be in the role where I was, you know, the pilot that was flying upside down all the time, but yeah, we would fly as fast as we could without breaking the sound barrier. So over 600 miles an hour for people that are familiar with G forces, I would pull up to nine G's, which is nine times the weight of your body pushing down on you.