Video: Charles Leclerc flew at supersonic speeds

In October, Charles Leclerc shared the news with fans that he had the opportunity to fly on a French Air Force supersonic fighter for the first time in his life thanks to the French television channel Canal+.

At the same time, the Ferrari driver promised that after some time a detailed video story about this adventure would be released, and now this 15-minute documentary can be viewed.

Of course, the plane was flown by an experienced pilot, but before taking his place in the cockpit, Charles took a very real crash course in pre-flight training, then spent about three hours in the air alone on the first day.

Moreover, the flight took place over that part of the Mediterranean coast, where the territory of the Principality of Monaco is located, and since the sky was clear, the Ferrari driver even tried to make out his house.

“It was incredible! – said Leclerc, as he stepped out of the cockpit of the Dassault Rafale fighter. “I’m very tired and still feel a little dizzy.” The flight lasted about three hours, we did so much, and by the end, just from being overloaded, I was already not feeling my best.

The sensations are completely different from what I am used to as a racer, because with us it is more lateral overload, but here they are predominantly vertical. And when we flew over Monaco, it was so cool! As the plane flew over the mountain, I saw approximately the places where my house should be, although I did not know exactly where. But it was completely unique!”

The next morning Charles continued his flying exercises, but this time the altitudes were higher and the speeds and overloads higher, which is quite natural because at some point the plane broke the supersonic barrier.

And Leclerc liked this experience even more: “I was very lucky because I got this opportunity thanks to the fact that I am a Formula 1 driver. During these two days I experienced so many absolutely crazy moments – these are g-forces greater than 8 G and mid-air refueling, and a flight over Monaco, and I even got to fly the plane at low altitude. Impressions for life, I assure you!”

The non-essential video, which appeared on Charles’ YouTube channel, was viewed more than 400,000 times and received many comments, including the following: “The work of the film crew is excellent. These images are worthy of a Top Gun movie!”

It is true that some noted that Leclerc, who was experiencing very vivid emotions, used speech patterns that were not entirely literary, but let’s hope that the FIA ​​​​will not punish him for this; the federation dictates its rules on the ground, not in the air.