I’m Steve “Bull” Schmidt, and I’m the lead test pilot for Boeing T-X — a brand new state-of-the-art fighter pilot training system Boeing has built for the U.S. Air Force.
I visited a middle school classroom last week to surprise an aspiring pilot and his classmates.
Gage B., a sixth-grade student from Marion, Iowa, wrote a letter to Boeing expressing his dream of becoming a fighter pilot. I was thrilled to see the letter, so I responded to Gage with an “in air” greeting.
“At first, I said, ‘Nope, I’m dreaming. It’s fake,’” Gage said. “Then I watched [the video] 10 more times and said, ‘Oh, it’s real.’”
After learning that Gage dreamed of joining the U.S. Air Force as a fighter pilot like me, I wanted to personally encourage that dream.
I spoke with Gage’s class at Excelsior Middle School about the new Boeing T-X training system and brought some models of the jet for the students to see up close. Gage also got the opportunity to step into the shoes of one of his real-life heroes and try on an actual fighter pilot suit.
I was just like Gage when I was a kid. I told him if he continues to work hard, he too can realize his dream of becoming a fighter pilot.
Steve “Bull” Schmidt
Boeing T-X Test Pilot