As a young boy, Jason Curtis watched the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform in the Flathead Valley.

He remembers that “hair standing up on the back of the neck feeling” watching those amazing jet maneuvers overhead. It inspired him to learn to fly and pursue a career in aviation.

Now Curtis is a Thunderbird himself.

At the end of May, Curtis, a captain in the Air Force, was chosen to fly as one of six F-16 pilot members of the Air Force’s prestigious Thunderbirds demonstration squadron.

“There has not been a Thunderbird from Montana since 1985 so it’s kind of a cool thing that I represent Montana in that realm,” Curtis said.

Curtis, who learned to fly at Kalispell City Airport, said he didn’t start his Air Force career with the goal of joining the team — even though they inspired him to learn to fly. He said he became an officer when the nation was at war.

“My focus, my efforts were towards combat operations and valor in combat,” Curtis said.

His efforts paid off with assignments in Korea and Italy and combat duty in Afghanistan and Libya. He applied for the Thunderbird team as a way to share the professionalism and valor he had witnessed in combat.

He begins training as a Thunderbird in November at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. He and his wife Larissa (Marceau) will move there in October.

By that time Curtis, 31, will be a father as well.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “We have a baby girl on the way — she is due in the first part of July.”

 Larissa, a ballet dance professional, and Curtis were high school sweethearts who graduated from Flathead High School in 1999.

He calls her the glue of the family who has supported all of his wild and crazy dreams, including joining the Thunderbirds.

“I’ll be in the shows starting in March,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m actually saying that. It’s still very foreign to me. I was absolutely shocked.”

Few others who have followed the life of this high-achieving Air Force Academy graduate were surprised. He was featured in the Daily Inter Lake in 2006 just as he completed advanced F-16 pilot training in Arizona with the 61st fighter squadron.

In that article, Curtis told how his father, Brad, had died in 1980 at age 42 just a few months before he was born. A commercial pilot for TWA, his father was flying an L1011 airliner that caught fire from an electrical malfunction in midflight.

His father safely landed the aircraft in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but died along with 301 passengers when they could not open the doors to escape the burning plane.

After the tragedy, Curtis’ mother, Kris, moved from California to Kalispell to raise him and his sister Kathy (Devall) in a small  town.

Had he lived, his father would have been proud when Curtis graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering and was among the 2 percent of his class selected for the elite Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix.

From there, Curtis was sent at age 25 to serve as a wing man with the 80th Fighter Squadron known as “The Headhunters.” Their mission was maintaining “ the asymmetrical military balance” between South Korea and North Korea.

“That included a whole lot of flying and the flying we did was daytime, nighttime, in the weather or clear skies right up against the DMZ, the demilitarized zone,” he said.

Curtis said that area represents the most heavily armed border in the world. He called the experience “pretty intense” and still recalls the stark contrast between the bright lights of South Korea at night and the darkness of North Korea, with the only glint of light coming from the capital of Pyongyang.

His tour of duty ran from early 2007 to June 2008 when he was sent to Aviano Air Force Base in Italy accompanied by his wife. They lived in the quaint Venetian town of Sacile, a 45-minute train ride from Venice and a 25-minute car ride from the Alps.

Their house was on a river that meandered through town.

“It was just a beautiful, picturesque Italian dream,” he said. “For me, it was kind of the best of both worlds. Not only did we live in one of the most beautiful spots in Europe, I was also doing my dream job, which was flying the F-16.”

The base is strategically located for deployment to multiple areas of Europe as well as the Middle East. When not deployed, Curtis flew training missions that led to an unforgettable experience over Italy when his engine quit.

“If you can imagine in a single-seat fighter jet with a single engine, when the single engine quits, that can be kind of stressful,” he said.

 Curtis said that everywhere he looked he saw heavily populated towns so he made the decision to land, which he did with one hand on the stick and the other on the ejection handle.

“I was very lucky that I was able to fly the aircraft — what we call ‘dead sticking’ — flying without an engine and gliding it down safely to an airstrip,” he said. “That was testament to the training I’ve been through. So when something really bad happens, instinct kicks in.”

From May to October 2010, Curtis deployed to Afghanistan where his group provided armed over-watch and close air support to troops. The pilots flew in support of conventional missions during the day and special forces missions at night.

“I could tell you a lot of things that I saw but the bottom line is that I was really humbled and amazed by how well our soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen performed under extreme stress,” he said.

In March 2011, Curtis flew back into battle in Libya with Operation Odyssey Dawn. With very little notice, he took off as part of the first combat mission on the opening night of operations.

“We got the call and, within a very short time, we were over very hostile terrain, supporting the no-fly zone and supporting the counter insurgency,” he said. “Once again, just seeing the entire team come together, this time with our international partners, with NATO. It was just absolutely amazing, the professionalism of everyone.”

When he returned to Luke Air Force Base last fall, he became a trainer for new F-16 pilots. He also began the arduous process of applying for the Thunderbirds, seeking a platform to share the amazing combat performance of our troops.

He submitted multiple letters of recommendation, his resume, his flying performance reports, officer performance reports and letters of intent. During the selection process, he spent time with the team  that he described as extremely enlightening.

“What they say is that flying is about one percent of their job,” he said. “They do the air shows but what a lot of people don’t see is the amount of time that they spend in hospitals, talking to terminally ill kids, going to middle schools, elementary schools and high schools talking to kids.”

One of 40 well-qualified pilots considered for the Thunderbirds, Curtis was doubly blessed to secure one of the three slots in his dream position.

“As the opposing solo, I fly solo maneuvers that demonstrate the capabilities of the F-16 and the performance characteristics of the F-16,” he said. “I also fly in concert with the lead solo. That’s where we’ll do maneuvers together. Some examples of those are the cross- over break, the opposing knife-edge pass.”

He and the lead solo also fly in the famous diamond formation. Perhaps most cool to those who have seen the shows, Curtis gets to perform the ear-splitting and spine-chilling “sneak attack” that ranks as a top crowd pleaser.

“That’s where the whole crowd jumps because they don’t expect it,” he said with a laugh.

To prepare, Curtis and other fledgling Thunderbirds go through a rigorous upgrade program where they fly about 90 sorties before the show season. He was quick to point out that 120 enlisted personnel backing up the six pilots should get most of the credit for the safety and success of the Thunderbirds.

Along with the excitement of performing, Curtis said he looks forward to interacting with young people, encouraging them to dream big and have the courage to go after those dreams by doing well in school, playing sports and serving their communities.

Most important, he says don’t give up.

“My mom said to me when I was very young, ‘We don’t have a lot of money, status or anything. But Jason, inside of you lies everything. It’s up to you to listen to those desires.’”

As a result, he didn’t quit when he didn’t score high enough on the SAT tests on the first, second, third, fourth and fifth tries. He tested six times before hitting the mark.

“I just kept at it and would not compromise my dreams,” he said. “You can absolutely live your dream. Dream those big dreams and it’s amazing what happens.”

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