Nail-biting video from cockpit of Navy fighter jet is making social media nauseated
A topsy-turvy cockpit video recorded aboard a U.S. Navy fighter jet is making a lot of people queasy on social media.
The video, shared Saturday on Facebook, shows the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels practicing over central Wisconsin’s La Crosse Regional Airport.
It was recorded from the perspective of Lt. Cmdr. Jim Cox, and shows the team lifting off in a cramped formation that puts the Boeing F/A-18 Hornets within about 18 inches of each other at points.
Things only get more daring from there. First, the roaring jets pull into a steep incline at speeds somewhere between 120 mph and 700 mph. Then, viewers watch as the earth goes from being under Cox to above him as the squadron flies upside down.
The 2-minute video, filmed Friday at the Deke Slayton Airfest, has been viewed 451,000 times and racked up 24,000 reactions.
Nearly 900 people have commented, too, many of them admitting the “daredevils” made them nauseated. Some said they couldn’t watch without holding their breath.
“Amazing .... But my stomach couldn’t take much of that...,” Frances Fuller wrote.
“I so would pee and poo myself as well as puke all over the cockpit,” Monika Scott posted.
“Nerves of steel,” John Ogier said.
The Blue Angels is a Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron known to perform often dangerous aerial maneuvers in jets valued at $21 million each. Their vertical rolls are done at heights of 15,000 feet and “sneak” passes fall as low as 50 feet off the ground, according to Blueangels.navy.mil.
The Blue Angels is usually the main attraction at air shows across the nation, along with the Thunderbirds of the United States Air Force.
“Man what I wouldn’t give to be a passenger just once!” Doug Wofford wrote on the team’s Facebook page.
“The first things you give are your stomach contents,” Rudi Dullien responded.
This story was originally published June 15, 2021 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Nail-biting video from cockpit of Navy fighter jet is making social media nauseated."