When asked to tell the tale of his dreamy escapade with the Blue Angels Team, he looks down and his grin stretches into a contagious smile.

“The reason why I got to do this is because there is a preexisting connection between the University and many employers who reach out to students through the Career Fair,” JP explains, trying to contain his boyish excitement. “All kinds of employers attend our Career Fairs, including the Navy, the Army, the Marines and many others.”

But of course, the Career Fair doesn’t make the jump to JP’s Blue Angels adventure. The opportunity came, much like in a contemporary fairytale, in the form of a phone call. “The Navy called the College of Engineering to see if someone in the college’s leadership position was interested in flying with the Blue Angels,” JP says, his facial expression staying composed. “Well…of course, I’m interested!” he adds unconsciously intensifying his hand gestures showing his enthusiasm.

He then withdraws his little burst of emotion, delving into some complications. “I also had to check with the Dean. When they called back the next day, it turned out that someone had already accepted,” says JP, shrugging, although it is hard to imagine him not being heartbroken. He was listed as an alternative.

A few weeks later, right when it seemed like his dream had escaped his grasp, the odds ruled in his favor. He delightfully received another call from the Blue Angels. “They said, ‘you’ve been moved to the primary candidate. You have to go for a medical exam with your doctor, which will then be reviewed by someone from the Navy before approving you for the flight.’”

On the day of the flight, JP says that the Blue Angels gave him and the three other passengers a short briefing, explaining what the experience was going to be like. “Although I don’t think anything can really explain,” adds JP, grinning as he inches closer to talking about the ride.

Members of the Blue Angels went through the pre-flight processes and explained the ejection seat procedure—which is exactly what it sounds like. If anything should happen on the plane, the cockpit is released, and the seat is ejected (of course, with a parachute attached).

“Then we went over the ocean, past the city, and the pilot did a bunch of maneuvers, loops, upside down flight…and you’re just hanging there.” The video is like a flipbook of interstellar-esque space backgrounds with JP at the center: zooming out of shrinking city skyscrapers with concrete jungles washing to slabs of gray, morphing into bodies of ocean blue streamed with foaming white and then pitch black space, occasionally breaking through feathery clouds and dust trails, with seconds of what seems like photograph stills of earth’s white halo outlined against the black sky, all captured through the lens of a GoPro.

In the video, JP holds on tight and braces himself for the G maneuver, which he describes as “a sort of side turn.” He says, “Imagine being a centrifuge, and it spins around. That’s what it does.” In the video, JP is making these funny sounds while breathing. He is seen trying to master the technique the Blue Angels taught him to try and constrict his blood to his head. “The problem with this sort of acceleration (G maneuver) is that it drains your blood from your head and pushes it to your legs, so you can pass out,” JP explains. “They teach you to force the blood to stay up. You contract your muscles. It’s difficult to master.”

JP, as a member of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department, goes into detail about the amazing mechanics and science behind his unforgettable ride. “In 40 seconds we went supersonic. It feels…beyond a roller coaster, way beyond that.”  He takes a deep breath, as if still processing his experience. “And yet, the maneuvering felt amazingly smooth.”

As his flight with the Blue Angels comes to an end, JP looks absolutely mystified. “It was a lot of fun,” he gushes. “When I came back down—and this was the case for all other flyers—we were drenched. It was exhausting. But the pilot who flew for us, he didn’t seem to break a sweat. He did it four times; that was very impressive, the training, the precision. It was amazing.”