Jimmy Garoppolo Joins the Nine G Club in Flight With the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

Declan Gallagher
·2 min read
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To prepare for his inaugural season with the Las Vegas Raiders, Jimmy Garoppolo took to the skies in an F-16 fighter jet, topping speeds of 1,500 miles per hour.

Donning his best Top Gun-inspired outfit, Jimmy G traveled to Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base, where he teamed up with the elite Thunderbirds for the thrilling flight. The Thunderbirds consist of 135 of the most experienced pilots in the U.S. Air Force.

Garoppolo was first prepped by Maj. Taylor "Flash" Wight. With the jet reaching speeds of Mach Two, or nine Gs (about 1,500 mph), Garoppolo would weigh around 2,000 pounds in the sky. This makes breathing, not to mention staying conscious, a tricky feat.

"Jimmy G is used to getting hit, but this is a different kind of getting hit," Maj. Wight said in a video of the event. "Driving a car, if you have a lead foot, it may get up to two G's if you’re just cranking around a corner. Roller coasters, you’ll probably maybe get up to three G's.”

After his training session, Wight took Garoppolo up in an F-16 fighter jet. The quarterback didn’t seem to be a bit nervous, clearly enjoying every moment. After Wight brought them up to 1,500 mph, Jimmy G yelled: “Let’s go! That’s nuts! Just gotta catch my breath. I’m pretty spent. Those Gs hit me pretty hard.”

Once they touched down, Garoppolo had nothing but raves for the experience. "Got a new nickname out of it," he joked of the Thunderbirds re-christening him Jimmy Nine Gs. "Definitely wasn’t easy going those nine G's, but it was definitely worth it. Once in a lifetime experience!”

He later recounted the flight to Fox News Digital. "I mean after, you feel drained. You don’t really want to talk to anyone, and these guys have the same energy they had before," he said. "So, it was really impressive to me. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before."

You can watch the full video of Jimmy G's flight below. His first game with the Raiders is scheduled for September 10th, when the team faces off against the Denver Broncos.