U.S. 250th Anniversary Air Show [EPA=Yonhap News File Photo]

It has been confirmed that the head of NASA personally piloted a jet during the nation's 250th-anniversary air show, despite opposition from aviation regulatory authorities.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 6th (local time) that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had initially opposed NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's plan to fly a vintage fighter jet during the 250th-anniversary celebrations.

According to documents obtained by the WSJ, Isaacman's team requested permission to fly a Northrop F-5 Tiger II jet, manufactured in the 1970s, for the air show. However, the FAA denied the request on the 30th of last month, citing the aircraft as a high-risk model that could pose potential danger to lives and property on the ground.

The documents reportedly contained references to past crash incidents, pilot ejection scenarios, and flight control systems.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman [UPI=Yonhap News File Photo]

However, Administrator Isaacman pushed ahead with the flight, arguing that the F-5 jets were effectively government aircraft under NASA's control and therefore not subject to FAA jurisdiction.

He also emphasized the context of the flight to the WSJ, stating, "It was clear that President Trump wanted the greatest celebratory flight in history."

Currently, the fighter jets remain registered as privately owned. Three are owned by Isaacman's company, JDI Holdings, and the remaining one is owned by another firm.

NASA requested an exception from the FAA, and ultimately, the jet piloted by Isaacman signaled the start of the commemorative air show for the 250th anniversary.

However, the original plan to have Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, and Donald Trump's political advisor Chris LaCivita in the back seats of the jets was canceled.

Administrator Isaacman is the founder of the payment processing company Shift4 and was a billionaire entrepreneur in the e-commerce sector.

After building a relationship with Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, through investments, he showed significant interest in civilian spaceflight, which led to his appointment as NASA Administrator last December.