Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy took to the Scottish skies on Wednesday in a Royal Air Force Typhoon.Leaving his bike behind, Sir Chris joined Six Squadron and boarded the aircraft during a visit to RAF Leuchars in Fife.
He was joined by his wife Sarra, who greeted him with a kiss upon his successful return. Sarra also provided a wealth of support to her husband during his bid for Olympic gold in London and was often seen at the side of the track cheering him on.Throughout the Olympics, which saw Chris walk away with two gold medals, the jets had been stationed at RAF Northolt in West London to provide air security.During the 60-minute flight, the Edinburgh cyclist reached heights of 30,000ft in the plane which can travel at twice the speed of sound.
Describing the experience as "absolutely incredible," he then took over the controls as the Typhoon travelled off the coast of St Andrews in Fife. Wing Commander Roddy Dennis said: "He took control and did a loop and was a bit of a natural. With someone like him, with his skill and natural ability, it was great to get him in the back seat.”Whilst the event was a great experience for Sir Chris, members of RAF Leuchars also enjoyed the special occasion saying that when the opportunity arose for him to visit, they "didn’t want to miss it. "The 36-year-old Olympic champion said "It's very difficult to explain just how exciting that was to be up there and what a thrill it was.""I feel very privileged to be asked to come here and take part in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I was in sheer awe of the machinery and how the aircraft operates, and the pilot as well. I'm full of admiration for the skills these guys have. "Later in the day Chris took to Twitter to express his relief at being able to "keep his breakfast down" during the flight and also tweeted his thanks to all who were involved in giving him such a "memorable day."
