(WHDH)–Channel 7’s Nick Emmons received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when he took flight with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels on Friday ahead of the Great State of Maine Air Show.
The Blue Angels, known for their wingtip-to-wingtip aerial formations, are the premier flight demonstration team in the United States.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Emmons, who often attended airshows as a child.
Prior to the flight, Emmons took a crash-course on how to counteract the G-Forces during the flight, as they can be so intense that blood drains from your head and into you legs, causing you to pass out.
Pilots use a technique called the hip maneuver to balance the forces, grunting and flexing all of their muscles in the legs and abs to keep the blood in their head.
Emmons’ pilot, Lt. Julius Bratton, aimed to give the reporter the ride of his life.
The jet rocketed off at a G-Force of 6.1, six times the force of gravity. At one point during the flight, the G-Force hit 7.5 during a turn, approaching the speed of sound
“I think my ears touched,” Emmons could be heard saying.
In the F-18, Emmons experienced high-speed flight, slow-speed flight, and got a sense for everything you can do in a fighter aircraft.
“It was an unbelievable experience and a dream come true,” Emmons said.
The Great State of Maine Air Show started on Saturday and ends Sunday.
To find out more about Lt. Julius Bratton, click here.
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