Originally from the town of Hudson, Columbia, New York, Lieutenant James Curtis moved to the Big Apple with his family at the age of ten. There they settled in the district of Queens where he had a normal childhood, marked by his great love of baseball and the Mets.

As a child, James dreamed of being a professional baseball player. His aspirations changed with the death of his older brother Jason, who died in combat during the first phase of fighting in Afghanistan after the tragedy of 9/11. His loss marked him greatly and he decided to follow in his footsteps, but instead of joining the Marines like him, he enlisted in the Air Force. His parents, great American patriots, supported him at all times and allowed him to join the Air Force Academy.

There he stood out as one of the best pilots in his promotion. His instructors always highlighted his great discipline and iron will. After being stationed for several years between Afghanistan and Iraq, where he participated in numerous bombing operations against insurgents, James returned to the United States. It was at that time when Lieutenant Colonel Preston contacted him and proposed that he join his Phoenix project test team. He had closely followed his progress and was convinced that his profile responded to what they were looking for.

After accepting, James moved to the Groom Lake base and joined Preston team. In a very short time he managed to adapt and forge a great relationship with everyone, especially with Captain Derek Chapman and Lieutenant Kira Takeda.

Personally, he has always been a somewhat difficult person to deal with, but everyone who ends up meeting him recognizes that he is a loyal comrade who always has your back.

James is a very ambitious and combative pilot, willing to go reach far beyond the horizon. Being part of the Phoenix tests is his great opportunity to stand out and he is willing to give his best to achieve it. His main motivation is to want to make his brother Jason proud of him, whom he always notices next to him when he flies, as if he were his invisible wingman.