POCOMOKE – A local educator took to the skies during the OC Air Show through a once in a lifetime opportunity to fly with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
Jenifer Rayne, principal of Pocomoke High School, was selected to fly with the Thunderbirds through their “Hometown Hero” program. She spent an hour in an F-16 last Friday with Lt. Col. Ryan Yingling as pilot.
“It was phenomenal,” Rayne said. “I’m a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. Roller coasters will never be the same after that flight.”
Rayne was offered the chance to fly with the Thunderbirds after the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) presented her with the MSEA Human and Civil Rights Award at MSEA’s Martin Luther King Celebration and Racial Social Justice Summit in Baltimore. The award was in recognition of Rayne’s support of Speak Up, a student club at Pocomoke High School. The MSEA Human and Civil Rights Award is given to educators who contribute significantly to the area of human and civil rights in the classroom or the overall school culture.
Rayne said Thunderbirds officials saw coverage of her receiving the award in local media and extended her an invitation to fly through the Hometown Hero program, which is intended to honor deserving locals. She didn’t hesitate to take the opportunity and spent Friday morning at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility.
“It was amazing to see the flight deck with all the places because used for the OC Air Show,” she said.
Rayne spent three hours in training before her flight. She said the process, which also involved getting fitted for a flight suit, was incredibly interesting, as she was taught about emergency situations and how to eject and activate her parachute.
“Everybody was so friendly and so nice,” she said. “It’s an amazing program and an amazing group of people.”
She also met with Yingling to go over the maneuvers he planned to do so she’d know what to expect once they were in the air.
“He wanted to make sure I had fun,” she said.
It was then that Rayne told him of her goal of experiencing 9Gs—nine times the force of gravity.
“I wanted to get to 9Gs because it’s hard to do without passing out,” she said, adding that her pre-flight instruction included learning a particular breathing technique and how to position her body to be able to handle the pressure.
Not only did she reach 9Gs once she was in the air, Rayne got to experience various rolls and spins. She said there was one maneuver in which Yingling spun the plane as he was flying higher and higher up into the air. Eventually he told her to look over her shoulder.
“It was like a corkscrew of smoke all the way down,” she said.
At Rayne’s request the plane also flew by Pocomoke High School, where students got to come outside to watch their principal pass by. While she enjoyed the entire flight, Rayne said the best part was proving that she could handle the acceleration.
“I didn’t pass out,” she said. “I was super psyched about that. Pulling Gs was my favorite because it was a challenge.”
Rayne said she appreciated the fact that the Thunderbirds used the Hometown Hero program to recognize an educator. She said she was grateful for the incredible opportunity.
“It was unforgettable,” she said. “One of the best experiences of my entire life.”