WGVU staff member flies with Thunderbirds

Bradley Gordon, WGVU marketing coordinator, had an opportunity of a lifetime when he flew with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds during the Battle Creek Air Show on July 3.

Gordon’s flight was piloted by Maj. Tony Mulhare, who took the fighter jet to 18,000 feet while doing loops, barrel rolls and high G turns. “It led up to an astounding 9-G turn at 500 mph,” Gordon said. “During that turn, my body was pinned up against the seat and I could not move. Doing all of the flips, turns and loops, I became pretty disoriented, but it really was an incredible experience to be able to fly with one of the best pilots in the world.”

WGVU was one of the media sponsors for the air show, and the television station’s camera crews conducted interviews and filmed the event for a program, “Battle Creek: Celebrating Flight 2009,” which will be aired at a later date.