Newest Thunderbird hopes for hometown show

No one hopes more than Capt. Jason Curtis, a Kalispell native, that the U.S. Air Force selects the Flathead Valley for a July 2013 performance by its prestigious Thunderbirds demonstration squadron.

In May, Curtis, an F-16 pilot, was selected to become the opposing solo pilot in 2013 and the lead solo in 2014 for the Thunderbirds.

“For me personally, to be able to come back to my hometown and put on an air show would be absolutely amazing,” Curtis said. “[It would] probably be the highlight of my tour next summer.”

He spoke to local media Tuesday at a press conference arranged by the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, which has applied to sponsor the Thunderbirds air show next summer. 

Chamber officials won’t know if they scored a place on the 2013 show schedule until the Air Force announces winning applications on Dec. 10 during the International Council of Air Shows Convention.

“This will be the sixth show we’ve done,” Chamber President Joe Unterreiner said.

He introduced Curtis as a Flathead High School graduate who attended Flathead Valley Community College for a year before receiving an appointment to the Air Force Academy.

“He learned to fly at Kalispell airport,” Unterreiner said.

Curtis said he mowed lawns to earn the money to pay for flying lessons at the city airport. He said he was inspired to learn by his family’s aviation heritage: His Polish grandfather flew Spitfires for the British Royal Air Force in World War II and his father flew for the American military and for the CIA briefly.

Both aspired to become U.S. citizens but only his father achieved citizenship. Curtis said his father was killed in his jet in the Middle East a couple of months before he was born.

“So hearing about their stories made me seek first and foremost military service,” he said. “I was seeking a way I could give back to this nation.”

Curtis also pointed to military air shows as the other major inspiration to learn to fly. He still remembers feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up when, as a child, he first saw the Thunderbirds fly in Kalispell.

“So that dream was first implanted in me in 1985 when I was 4 years old,” he said. “Also, in 1999, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at our air show here which was put on by the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce.”

Curtis worked for John Vander Laan, chairman of the 1999 and 2005 air shows, who also attended Tuesday’s media event. Curtis said his job was putting up snow fencing for crowd control and picking up trash.

Vander Laan provided an opportunity for Curtis to meet the Blue Angels pilots who performed in the 1999 show. 

“That definitely inspired me,” he said. “To see what they do on a daily basis and how they represent the readiness of our military I thought was pretty awesome.”

Curtis applied to become a member of the Thunderbirds after serving in South Korea and Europe and accumulating combat flying hours in Afghanistan and Libya. 

To apply, a pilot must obtain the rank of captain in the Air Force with no more than 12 years of active duty and accumulate at least 750 hours at the controls of a fighter aircraft. 

He agreed that he once again had that “hairs standing up on the back of his neck” feeling when he got the news that he would achieve his dream of becoming a Thunderbird.

“I think the Thunderbirds are an organization that, no matter how old or young you are, it still gives everybody a smile on their face,” he said.

Curtis and his wife, Larissa, also of Kalispell, have another reason to smile with the birth three months ago of their first child, a baby girl they named Aurora. He said they chose the name for its association with the sky and because it was unique.

The couple have taken Aurora to see Glacier National Park, Flathead Lake and Big Mountain. They consider Montana her home state even though she was born in Phoenix.

“Larissa and I want her to know that she is a Montana baby — she is from Montana,” he said.

His trip has included appearances at local schools such as Hedges Elementary School, where he was as student from first through the sixth grade. He said he encourages the students to “stand tall and follow their dreams.” 

Curtis expected to spend another six days in the valley before returning to Las Vegas to start training for the 75-show 2013 season that begins in March.  He said he was not nervous because of the confidence instilled by the Air Force’s top equipment and rigorous training, including a 90-ride checkout program.

He called it an absolute thrill to represent the professionalism of about 700,000 Air Force personnel to the public.

“Seeing those beautiful red, white and blue jets fly in perfect formation through the sky, I think that represents, first and foremost, our military and the readiness of our military,” Curtis said. 

“Second of all, and most important of all, it gives back to our local communities that support our military and make our military what it is.’

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com