Shahid had to attack a target with his F 16 - Shahid Kapoor pulled a Tom Cruise

Shahid Kapoor pulled a Tom Cruise over the weekend as he got into a F-16 fighter jet during the Aero India Show 2011 organized in Bangalore. The actor looked as happy as can be as he, just like Tom Cruise in the 1986 box-office smash Top Gun, hit the skies in the fighter jet.

If it is a girl's eternal dream to live like a romantic movie, it is a boy's wish to live like an action hero! Well, Shahid got to live his dream recently in Bangalore when he flew the F 16 plane.

The F 16 is a sophisticated fighter plane, used in modern warfare, and just to get the opportunity to fly it was big enough. But what took the experience a notch higher was when Shahid was actually given a mission while flying the F 16.

A source associated with Air Force said "F 16 pilots train in a very precise manner. They never just fly the plane to practice, but always fly the plane on a mission." Well, Shahid was no exception to this and he too was given a target which he had to attack and a mission he had to achieve.

When Shahid flew in the F 16, another F 16 took off with him and they were buddy planes, who would assist each other in the mission. It was actually the pilot of this plane, who took aerial shots of Shahid flying the F 16. The mission was an adventurous one which involved a dog fight, ground attacks and even air to air engagement.

Shahid was thrilled to be part of such an elaborate and adrenaline pumping flying experience, which was definitely once in a lifetime opportunity. About this unforgettable experience Shahid says, "To fly an F 16 was an awesome experience. It was thrilling, and to be part of a mission was something I never imagined I would get to do. Bear (Pilot Paul Wendell) was an extremely cool teacher. He let me maneuver the plane and learn on my own."




Shahid is the first actor in the world to fly an F 16 for which he went through rigorous training sessions. He went through a simulator test and various stress tests and blood tests.

Incidentally Shahid plays a pilot in his father Pankaj Kapur's directorial debut Mausam. Sheetal Talwar, producer of Mausam, says, "The Lockheed Martin guys wanted Shahid to have a complete experience of flying a fighter jet. They were extremely co-operative and did their best to make Shahid's experience an invaluable one."