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Traditional hat toss and flyover by Air Force Thunderbirds at the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy Logo of the Air Force Academy. The United States Air Force Academy is an undergraduate college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with the mission of educating and commissioning officers for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force.
Nicole Margaret Ellingwood Malachowski [3] (born 26 September 1974) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) officer and the first female pilot selected to fly as part of the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds. [4] She later became a speaker and advocate on behalf of patients with tick-borne illnesses. [5] [6]
The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron is the air demonstration squadron of the United States Air Force (USAF). [1] The Thunderbirds , as they are popularly known, are assigned to the 57th Wing , and are based at Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada.
Michelle Curran (born 1987) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) major and a pilot in the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, or Thunderbirds. Curran was the lead solo pilot for the Squadron. Curran is the fifth woman to fly with the Thunderbirds, her callsign (or nickname) is "MACE".
McSpadden served in the United States Air Force for twenty years, achieving the role of commander and flight leader of its Thunderbirds demonstration team. [5]He became a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor, with multi-engine land, single-engine seaplane and multi-engine seaplane ratings [3] while also working in information technology.
Together they were instrumental in forming the Thunderbirds, the first U.S. Air Force official aerial demonstration team. Pattillo flew right wing and his brother flew left wing in the original team in 1953. [5] Pattillo was assigned as commander of the 3603rd Combat, Crew Training Squadron at Luke Air Force Base in June 1954. [6]
Lloyd W. "Fig" [1] Newton (born December 24, 1942) [2] is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) four-star general who served as Commander, Air Education and Training Command (COMAETC) from 1997 to 2000.
On June 20, 2005, Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, where the accident happened, officially changed its name to Creech Air Force Base in honor of General Wilbur L. "Bill" Creech, who was known as the "father of the Thunderbirds" and who was himself a Thunderbird pilot.