Boris Johnson looked to be doing his best to channel his inner Tom Cruise as he took a flight on a fighter jet during a visit to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire:
Just weeks after Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell blasted his way back onto the big screen in Top Gun: Maverick, Johnson donned his own overalls and climbed into the aircraft to be given a demonstration of a Typhoon fighter jet.
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Footage shared online shows the prime minister, who announced his resignation earlier this month, wearing a mask as he rode in the plane and giving a thumbs-up to the planes flying next to him.
Admittedly, he was in less dicey circumstances than when Maverick gave a wave to the enemy aircraft in the Top Gun sequel, but I've a feeling Johnson felt like he was putting on a show just as impressive.
Johnson took a trip to the base on Thursday (14 July) for a behind-the-scenes look at one of the Royal Air Force's two Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Stations which are used to protect UK airspace.
His demonstration was given by pilots and air crews from the base, which acts as the training station for Typhoon pilots.
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In a speech given at Farnborough Air Show this morning (18 July), Johnson described how he and the pilot went 'straight up like a vertical firecracker' when they took off in the fighter jet.
"We generally put it's through its paces,' he said. Johnson then described how after a 'while' flying in the jet the wing commander asked if he wanted to take control.
Recalling the experience, he continued: "And I said, 'Are you sure? It seems very expensive to me. I think we only have 148 of them and they cost £75 million a pop'. And he said: 'Don't worry, you can't break it'. So I thought, 'oh well, famous last words'."
No doubt just like Maverick expertly navigated his plane through questionable terrain and away from his enemies, Johnson continued: "I pushed the joystick right over to the right and we did an aileron roll. Then I hauled the joystick right back and we did a fantastic loop the loop."
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Johnson's antics didn't stop there, as he told the crowd he then did 'a more complicated thing called a barrel roll', saying: "I pushed the stick up and right a bit. We started to pull a 'few Gs' as they say, quite a few Gs."
Footage of Johnson in the plane has received mixed responses online, with some claiming it showed proof the UK had been 'unwitting guests at one man’s three-year, multi-billion pound stag party', while another praised Johnson for keeping things 'positive and popular'.
Topics: Boris Johnson, Twitter, UK News, Top Gun, Tom Cruise
Emily Brown