WATCH: Raiders’ Jimmy Garoppolo takes flight in F-16 fighter jet with Air Force Thunderbirds

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Ahead of the start of the NFL season, Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went to new heights thanks to the AIr Force Thunderbirds.

According to a news release, through a partnership with USAA, Garoppolo visited Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas to join the Thunderbirds, “an elite group of 135 of the most experienced members in the U.S. Air Force.”

As part of the experience, Jimmy G took flight in a U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 Fighting Falcon and reached Mach 2 (approx. 1,500 MPH). The release says the NFL player went “barreling through air combat maneuvers,” and fought “to sustain consciousness under 2,000 pounds of pressure.”

“Preparation is everything, and the Thunderbirds [training] is very similar to being in the League… there’s an endless amount of possibilities in football…but when you’re prepared, you don’t get that nervous feeling, you’re excited to put on display what you’ve been studying and what you’ve been working on,” Garoppolo said.