Romanian PM becomes co-pilot on F16 jet during Dacian Viper demonstration flights

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta was the copilot during a demonstrative flight with an F-16 plane, whose main pilot was major Dustin "Yoggi" Brown. Ponta attended the demonstration flight at Campia Turzii, and arrived there on Thursday morning (April 17) wearing a Romanian Air Forces uniform. The flight was part of the Romanian – American event Dacian Viper 2014, where the PM was also to deliver a speech during the closing ceremony of the week-long event. Six F-16 planes were brought in for this series of training exercises at Campia Turzii, Romania from April 10- 17. The goal of the exercise was to enhance interoperability and readiness to conduct combined air operations, including air-to-air, air-to-ground, and joint tactical air controller training. Victor Ponta is also a car racing copilot and is passionate about motor racing in his free time. In the past, he teamed up as co-pilot with Formula One world champion Mika Hakkinen at a demonstration event in Bucharest. "The experience on an F16 came straight to my personal number 1! And I am still alive!", the PM wrote on his social media account after the flight. editor@romania-insider.com