BRUNSWICK – 7.6 at 20 seconds. That’s my limit.

I learned Wednesday afternoon that I can tolerate 7.6 times my weight in gravity before losing consciousness. Not everyone can say that.

I learned it some 2,000 feet in the sky, hurtling over central Maine north of Farmington in a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet.

A Blue Angels F/A-18.

I was one of the three Maine media people lucky enough to qualify for a 45-minute ride, part of the buildup to “Blues Over Brunswick, The Great State of Maine Airshow” this weekend at the Brunswick Naval Air Station.

Wednesday’s flights were some of the 900-some media flights that Maj. Nathan Miller, the pilot of Blue Angel 7 and narrator of this weekend’s show, does around the country. The rest of the team’s jets, Blue Angels 1-6, are scheduled to fly into Brunswick this morning.

The team is a military recruiting tool, showing the nation’s military might and flying precision.

“Jets are the sound of freedom, and we bring that to these cities,” said Crew Chief Deo Harrypersaud.

Harrypersaud’s job is to brief the media before the ride and then inspect the aircraft before the flight, making sure all key parts are in good working order and the tanks full of 1,100 gallons of jet fuel.

Finally, he’ll tuck each of us into the cockpit.

The ride is no problem, according to Harrypersaud. “This is the ultimate thrill ride,” he said of the jets, which are capable of flying at up to 1,127 miles per hour.

Wednesday’s flight wouldn’t go that fast – a mere 780 mph.

Still, cautioned Harrypersaud, “Nothing you ever do will compare to this. If you go to Six Flags, or any other amusement park, you will be bored even by the biggest, baddest roller coaster.”

My only concern going in was G-LOC, gravity-induced loss of consciousness. But Harrypersaud explained the cure – the “Hic Maneuver.” Flex your leg and abdominal muscles, breathe deep once and get ready. Breathe in and out in short, sharp “hic” breaths until the pressure eases.

It’s the method all Blue Angel pilots use to maintain consciousness in-flight during sharp turns, steep climbs or other precise maneuvers.

Ready… Hit it!

In the cockpit, pilot Miller tells me just how it will work. He’ll tell me to flex my legs, then take a deep breath.

“That’s the last real breath your going to get for a while,” he said. Heavy G-forces make breathing difficult, to say the least.

“But you’ll pass out if you don’t get some new air in you. So you breathe in with the ‘hic,’ and you’ll be fine,” he said.

His cue to me is “Ready… Hit it.”

“And when I say ‘hit it,’ that’s when you’ll feel the Gs, and right away,” Miller said.

The first test was the takeoff. The jet hurtles down the runway no more than 30 feet off the deck until Miller jerks the stick sharply back, forcing the jet into a 45-degree climb that feels much steeper. An instant 5.5 Gs, but it’s over before I can gasp out my first hic.

Then we fly northwest, passing over Farmington at some point – Miller waggled the wings and kicked in the afterburner to say hello – to the area where we’ll run through the team’s maneuvers.

“It’s just us today, but you have to imagine doing what we’re doing with other aircraft next to you, no more than 18 inches between wing and canopy,” Miller said.

He starts simple with some dives off of the left wing and gentle rolls.

“Shall we do an aileron roll?” he asks. Sure, I answer, and suddenly we’re upside down.

Then it’s time for more Gs.

We start with a steep climb, and Miller warns me: “Flex those legs, deep breath, ready… Hit it!”

I can feel my cheeks sink in, my chest gets heavy, and I start my hics.

“Slow down,” he warns. “Too slow and you pass out, but too fast and you hyperventilate.”

I calm down and the climb tops out: 6 Gs and no problem. We slide back into normal gravity with me fully conscious.

We continue onto other maneuvers – evasive tactics, tight turns followed by immediate steep climbs. I manage to survive 7.5 Gs without passing out – only a little tunnel vision creeping in around from behind me.

And finally, there’s just one more maneuver, the minimum radius turn.

“We call this the graduation maneuver,” Miller said. “It’s 7.6 Gs for 20 seconds.”

I have no idea what we did. We started to climb and I began making my hic noises. The very next thing I knew, I’m floating blissfully calm with an odd voice in my ears: “You’re OK. You’re OK.”

And slowly, I floated back awake, becoming aware of the bright blue sky in front of me.

I asked one of the other riders if he’d do it again. It’s a once in a lifetime experience, and that was his one time, he said.

But I’d climb back in without a moment’s notice.

This time, I bet I could make 7.8.

What: “Blues Over Brunswick, The Great State of Maine Airshow”

When: Gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday

Where: Brunswick Naval Air Station

How much: General seating, $8.

Extras: Wingwalkers, sky-typers, the U.S. Army’s Golden Knight Parachute team and the Navy’s Blue Angels.