Princess Beatrice's zero gravity flight

Aug 23, 2007, 12:20 GMT

Britain's Princess Beatrice was treated to a zero gravity flight by her boyfriend.

The 19-year-old princess - who has been dating David Clark for a year - experienced the ultimate thrill of weightlessness during the 90-minute flight aboard G-Force 1, which took off from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.

The specially modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet performed 15 parabolic manoeuvres, climbing to 25,000ft and going into a steep dive, allowing Beatrice, David and five other passengers to experience 30-second periods of zero gravity.

During the flight they were able to perform a series of weightless stunts, which included flying the length of the plane, pouring water into the air to watch the droplets float around them and floating sweets to catch in their mouths.

Tickets for the flight - operated by the US-based Zero Gravity Corporation - cost £1,750 each.

It was good practice for Beatrice who is to be a guest aboard Sir Richard Branson's first Virgin Galactic suborbital voyage in 2008.

David, who works in the project's sales and marketing division, persuaded his royal girlfriend to take a seat on the flight.

It is not known whether Beatrice paid the £100,000 for the space ticket.

Before taking part in the mission, passengers will be put through an intensive four-day training course at the Virgin space camp in the Mojave Desert in the US.

Once prepared, they will board the mother ship, which will take them 70,000 feet into the Earth's stratosphere, before launching the spacecraft into the orbit.

(C) BANG Media International