true stories

In my childhood, my parents recounted vivid memories of the space race and the excitement that captivated the world. Names like Buzz Aldrin, Alan Shepard, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Jim Lovell and others were common in our home.

We watched The Right Stuff, Apollo 13 and documentaries about that era. My passion for aviation grew strong enough that I knew that I wanted to follow these giants.

Years later, I was fortunate to realize my goal of becoming an active duty Air Force fighter pilot, assigned to fly the F-35, the world’s most expensive stealth fighter.

Part of my job early on in the F-35 program was to ferry the jet to air shows around the US. At an air show in Melbourne, FL, I met Buzz Aldrin. He loved the air show in his hometown.

I found it ironic that the man who had done it all – literally flown hundreds of aircraft and spacecraft through more decades than I had been on this planet – wanted to talk to “the boys flying the F-35s.”

We had a brief moment to chat prior to Buzz embarking on an F-16 flight with the Thunderbirds. He jokingly asked if he could ride along. I told him there was room in the weapons bay but that might require a jacket. He asked if she flew as good as she looked and I told him “better.”

Gone are the days of hundreds of switches, dials, breakers and knobs. This thing has about 10 of those and one giant iPad-like, touch screen display that we call “the glass.” It is complimented by voice activation.

To the enemy, the jet is essentially invisible yet sees everything and displays it in a perfectly “Gods eye view” to the pilot. That provides unparalleled awareness in a one stop shop fashion which reduces pilots’ busy workload, allowing them to focus more on the battle. Its a force multiplier.

Buzz said, “Oh, is that all?”

Great guy, sharp wit, passionate about aviation education for future generations.

For Buzz it was a memorable experience – even at almost 90 years old. The 2nd man to set foot on the moon was flying fighter jets and still promoting space exploration in a T-shirt that read “Get Your Ass to Mars.”

US Air Force Major Matt “Diesel” Mayer is a Lexington High School Class of 2000 and The Citadel Class of 2004 graduate.