You have to see this photo: Austin Peay flag flies in fighter jet navigating Britain’s famed Mach Loop
(Posted Friday, Sept. 24, 2021)
An Austin Peay State University Governors flag recently zipped through the skies of the United Kingdom in the cockpit of a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet.
Austin Peay alum Capt. Branden Clifton took the flag up with him on Tuesday, Sept. 21, and Ed Butcher captured the image from a hillside as the plane flew by. The photo captures the Governors flag facing through the cockpit window as the jet navigates the world-famous Mach Loop (aka the Machynlleth Loop), based out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, in the United Kingdom.
“I thought it was a cool opportunity to showcase the school, especially as football season is kicking off again,” Clifton, who’s seated in the back seat of the plane as a weapon systems officer.
Clifton also wanted to honor his daughter, Alonna Clore-Gregg, an engineering freshman at Austin Peay.
The jet and its team were executing routine low-altitude training in the Mach Loop, which allows for tactical flight training as low as 250 feet from the terrain.
Clifton graduated in 2008 from Austin Peay with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Performance and a minor in education. He taught at Rossview Middle School before joining the Air Force. He also played football for the Govs during his freshman year.
News Feed
View All News
Two hours after his interview with the Clarksville Police Department (CPD), Army veteran Dustin Zook had a job offer in hand--a swift result powered by the preparation he built through Austin Peay State University's Military-Affiliated Professionals Program (MAPP).
Read More
Graduating seniors from Austin Peay State University's Eriksson College of Education achieved the program's highest edTPA passing rate and scores since the university adopted the assessment in 2013, positioning these newly licensed teachers to succeed in Tennessee's classrooms.
Read More
Austin Peay State University Middle College students are leading campus-wide bird strike research through the Bird Alliance, documenting window collisions and contributing to ongoing conservation efforts that have significantly reduced bird deaths on campus.
Read More