Alumnus Soars to New Heights on Viper Demo Team

Maj. Garret Schmitz, who received his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona in 2008, once saw the U.S. Air Combat Command’s F16 Viper Demo perform at an airshow in his hometown. Now, after a stint as a combat pilot, he commands the very same demo team and tours the country to display the prowess of the F16 single-seat fighter aircraft. 

As he told the Santa Maria (California) Times, “I get to go all over the country, get to interact with people all over the nation. I get to inspire them the way I was inspired.”