Mikaela Shiffrin Getting In Some Fighter Jet Flight Time

Altitude, speed, and nerves of steel are things that ski racers have in common with fighter pilots. The obvious difference is that one is on skis and one is in a fighter jet. Well, now Mikaela Shiffrin can say that she has done both.


The USAF Thunderbirds demonstration team is at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. They are there preparing for the Air Force Academy graduation. But, they were able to take a little time off from training to take the skiing phenom for a spin in an F-16.

During the flight demonstration, Shiffrin was able to experience a 9G maneuver, which she mentioned in the above social media post. A feat that isn't easy on the body, even for a trained, professional athlete. During a post-flight interview, Shiffrin explained: “It’s not like skiing, I’m used to going fast on my skis, but nothing like that nothing like those forces.”.



Thunderbirds Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Cory W. Bush [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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