Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy swapped his bike for a Royal Air Force Typhoon on Wednesday as he took to the skies above Scotland.
The six-times gold medal-winning cyclist boarded the aircraft during a visit to RAF Leuchars in Fife.
The jets, which can fly at twice the speed of sound, were based at RAF Northolt in west London to provide air security throughout the Olympic Games.
Sir Chris joined 6 Squadron for the 60-minute flight during a routine training exercise which saw him fly as high as 30,000ft (9,144m).
He said: "It was absolutely incredible. It's very difficult to explain just how exciting that was to be up there and what a thrill it was.
"I feel very privileged to be asked to come here and take part in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"I was in sheer awe of the machinery and how the aircraft operates, and the pilot as well. I'm full of admiration for the skills these guys have."
He continued: "The dream would be to continue on for two more years (to Glasgow 2014). It's whether my body can continue, whether I'm going to be injury-free and fit enough to continue because there's a very strong team.
"Just to get in the Scottish team is going to be a fight but it would be the ideal way to finish off: a home Olympics and then a home Commonwealth Games. It wouldn't be too bad.
"I've been very busy since the Games, travelling from place to place, and I've been enjoying not having to worry about training and just letting it all sink in."