Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds’ presents a close look at the preparation that goes into the intricately planned and executed demonstration formations of the Thunderbirds. The awe-inspiring air shows require exceptional teamwork, where one person’s mistake can prove to be catastrophic to the rest of the team. Guiding them through this challenge is their leader, Justin “Astro” Elliott, and the training officer, Lauren “Threat” Schlichting, who also joins the team in the aerial formation.
Lauren Schlichting Wants to Inspire the Next Generation
When Lauren “Threat” Schlichting was in second grade, her school in Stillwater, Minnesota, hosted two astronauts from NASA. While they talked about space and their journey into the vast unknown, all Lauren could concentrate on was the fact that they were highly accomplished pilots. This inspired her to choose a career in aviation, and every choice she made after this reflected her ambition. She enrolled in the University of St. Thomas on her Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship and majored in math. She graduated in 2012 and moved on to her commission in the U.S. Air Force, where she attended flight school and became a fighter pilot.
In 2018, she was sent to Iraq, where she flew an F-15E Strike Eagle, logging more than 420 combat hours in the jet. When she returned to the US, she became an Air Force flight instructor, which eventually led her to the Thunderbirds. In 2022, when she flew the #3 right side slot in the diamond formation of the Thunderbirds air show, she became one of the only six female pilots to join the Thunderbirds since the establishment of its air demonstration squadron in 1953. She was also a part of the 2024 demo season, where she flew in the #4 position of the diamond formation.
Given her stellar career in the US Air Force, Schlichting has become a source of inspiration for young girls who often approach her and tell her about their desire to pursue the same line of career. The Thunderbird is happy that she instills such ambition and aspiration in the young generation, highlighting that she, too, was inspired by women who dared to break barriers and inspired her to follow in their footsteps while carving a path of her own. She wishes for her military career to do the same. However, when it comes to her private life, she prefers to keep it away from public scrutiny and lets her professional achievements speak for her.
Read More: Jake Impellizzeri: Where is the Thunderbirds Right Wing Pilot Now?
