Captain Nicholas Le Tourneau is the United States Air Force F-22 Demonstration Team Commander and pilot stationed at Langley Air Force Base, VA. As the F-22 Demo Team Commander, he is responsible for representing Air Combat Command, the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, and the United States of America at more than 20 air shows annually. He leads the 14-member F-22 Demonstration Team, oversees maintenance actions performed on one of the most advanced fighter jets ever built, and showcases the Raptor’s exceptional maneuverability for more than 10 million spectators around the world each year. He is an operational F-22 pilot assigned to the 1st Operations Group within the 1st Fighter Wing.
Capt. Le Tourneau is from New York Mills, Minnesota. He was inspired to fly while attending airshows at a young age and went on to earn his Private Pilot's License at 18 years old in Perham, Minnesota. After high school Capt. Le Tourneau joined AFROTC at the University of St. Thomas, followed by an admission to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado in the summer of 2014. During his time as a Cadet, Capt. Le Tourneau was a member of the United States Air Force Academy Precision Flying Team, piloting the T-41/T-51. He accumulated over 300 flying hours, and 1,000 competition-style landings and competed at 3 National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) National Championships as a member of the team. In 2018, Capt. Le Tourneau earned his commission and graduated from the Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in management. Capt. Le Tourneau then attended Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin Air Force Base,
Texas. There he flew the T-6 Texan II and the T-38C Talon. He earned his pilot wings and was selected to fly the F-22 Raptor after completing the program in 2019. Following pilot training and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Capt. Le Tourneau attended the F-22 Raptor Basic Course at Eglin AFB, Florida. Upon graduation, Capt. Le Tourneau was assigned to the 27th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, as an operational fighter pilot.
While assigned to the 27th Fighter Squadron, Capt. Le Tourneau earned the qualifications of Mission Commander and Instructor Pilot. In 2024 while deployed with the 27th FS, Capt. Le Tourneau was selected to be the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander. Capt. Le Tourneau is an experienced combat-proven Fighter Pilot with over 550 hours flying the F-22 including multiple deployments to the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region. Capt. Le Tourneau is thrilled to be a member of the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team with the mission of showcasing American air dominance and inspiring the next generation of pilots and maintainers.