A RAF navigator gave plane-spotters a chuckle as he held up a sign reading 'I'm with stupid' with an arrow pointing to the pilot. The pair were on a training mission in a £13million Tornado GR4 aircraft, capable of reaching 1,400mph, when the navigator pulled the prank as they jetted through a valley in Wales. Based at RAF Lossiemouth in the Scottish Highlands, the men were flying through Snowdonia, in northern Wales, at the time of the Top Gun stunt.
Knowing there would be spotters in the area, the amused navigator produced the homemade sign and sure enough, it was captured on camera. It recalls the famous moment in Top Gun when Tom Cruise gives the finger to a Russian MiG pilot during an 'impossible' 4-G negative dive, and then claims he was just 'keeping up foreign relations'.
The RAF trains pilots in Snowdonia to be future fast jet combat pilots through the valleys and keen aviation fans often watch the pilots in action.
The Ministry of Defence laughed off the light-hearted moment, saying the navigator was showing some personality. A spokesman told The Sun: 'All RAF aircrew are trained to be consummate profesionals, but - as with all jobs - there are light-hearted moments as well. The phrase 'I'm with Stupid' with an arrow has been used on novelty T-shirts since the 1970s.
