Fighter Pilot Mitt

Campaigning in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney had the following to say, the AP reports:

"I've held the stick on an F-16 fighter jet," he said. "That doesn't mean I think the public ought to be flying F-16 fighter jets…"

Romney also apparently said he's shot Uzis and AK-47s.

H/T: The McCain-friendly GreenMountainPolitics1 blog.

UPDATE: Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom called to explain that Romney's F-16 stint occurred when he was running the Olympics in Utah. "He had the opportunity to fly an F-16 and take the stick under the supervision of a trained pilot," Fehrnstrom said. The flight took off out of Hill Air Force Base in the 2000/2001 time period, he said.

Fehrnstrom also clarified that Romney fired Uzis and AK-47s when he visited Iraq last year: "During that visit, he had the opportunity to participate in a demonstration where he was able to fire fully automatic weapons under the supervision of military personnel."