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.
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His demonstration was given by pilots and air crews from the base, which acts as the training station for Typhoon pilots.
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'."
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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."
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
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Emily Brown