Newstalk reporter Henry McKean has joined the Royal Jordanian Falcons on a ‘full-on crazy’ formation flight over the east coast – and lived to tell the tale.
The world-famous Jordanian aerobatic team are back in Ireland for this weekend’s Bray Air Display and they showed Henry what it’s like to go Top Gun for the day.
The flight involved loop de loops, inverted flight, close formations, tail smoke and a G-force that would melt Iceman himself.
Watch Henry turn green 🤢
Newstalk's @HenryMcKean headed to up in the air with Royal Jordanian Falcons ahead of the Bray Air Display this weekend @SeanMoncrieff pic.twitter.com/zCQkulkqcR
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) July 21, 2022
After coming back down to Earth, Henry admitted he spent a lot of time with his eyes firmly shut.
“I had to close my eyes during the somersaults,” he said. “At one point I opened my eyes and we were upside down.
“It was a roller coaster. It wasn’t a cartoon it was real and I was the character in the cartoon – it really was pretty scary.”
“My insides are torn out.” @SeanMoncrieff @NewstalkFM @BrayAirShow pic.twitter.com/6WacQNEd7e
— Henry McKean (@HenryMcKean) July 21, 2022
He managed not to get sick while in the air – but as soon as he was back on solid grounds he said: “My insides feel like they’re about to fall out.”
“That was something else,” he said. “That was full-on crazy. It was perhaps the most sensational thing I’ve done in my life – and I’m still alive to tell the tale.”
The Bray Air Display will see more than 30 aircraft offering “incredible, show-stopping scenes” in the skies above Wicklow this Sunday.
“An out of body experience.” Royal Jordanian Falcons. @SeanMoncrieff @NewstalkFM from 2pm @BrayAirShow @IrishAirCorps pic.twitter.com/bgeW2UD6PU
— Henry McKean (@HenryMcKean) July 21, 2022
This year’s event will celebrate 100 years of the Irish Air Corps which will be marked by a unique formation flight of Aer Lingus and the Irish Air Corps.
“The display will also welcome the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Battle of Britain Memorial Flight to Irish skies – including the iconic Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane flying in formation.
Bray Air Display favourites, the Royal Jordanian Falcons aerobatic team are returning all the way from the West Asian Kingdom and the world-famous Red Arrows will close the show with a dramatic finale.
You can listen back to Henry’s full report here:
