Michelle ‘MACE’ Curran | Former USA Thunderbird

Michelle “MACE” Curran, former Thunderbird pilot and combat veteran, US Air Force. ”Moments of self-doubt did creep in though. When I first became an F16 pilot, we got straight into tactics and technical data– that’s when I realised I was in way over my head. I was one of two women in a squadron with 50 pilots, and I felt a lot of pressure to fit into the distinct fighter pilot culture. I was put under a microscope and there were a number of people waiting to see if I would fail – I knew I had to prove myself.”