Civilians rarely ride with the Thunderbirds, an Air Force demonstration team that performs aerobatics at airshows. But Mark Lillis ’88 climbed into an F-16 last year and witnessed heart-stopping maneuvers from inside the cockpit. Before the flight, he spent three hours learning how to breathe, handle G forces and exit the aircraft in an emergency, and he earned a 9G pin for staying conscious and keeping his lunch down. The mayor of Fairfield, Calif., had nominated Mark as a Hometown Hero for setting up a successful after-school tutoring and mentoring program, and the Thunderbird fighter pilots honored him with the ride of a lifetime. 1 Column Content Background Color White Ali...