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Sports TwitterBengals kicker takes his hobby to new heights
Shayne Graham participates in an F-16 orientation flight at the Springfield Air National Guard Base.
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'Coolest, most fun thing I've ever done'
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Shayne Graham makes his living kicking a football for the Cincinnati Bengals.
But he got his own kicks Tuesday, July 15, by engaging in his favorite hobby — flying an airplane. But it wasn't just any aircraft. It was an F-16 "Fighting Falcon" jet at the Springfield Air National Guard Base.
"It was the coolest thing I've ever done," said Graham, 30.
Lt. Col. Joe "Woodstock" Schulz was at the controls in front of the two-seat, needle-nose jet — known to its pilots as the "Viper" — with Graham directly behind him on the hourlong flight.
They traveled 40 miles southeast in training airspace, then swung over downtown Cincinnati before heading home.
"Shayne was great," Schultz said. "He felt good the whole time. It was a good experience all around."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2253 or cludwig@DaytonDailyNews.com.
