KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Two pilots connected to the University of Tennessee will fly F-35 fighter jets over campus before Saturday's game against Kentucky. Lt. Col. Jonathan Hassell worked at Neyland when he was young. He sold soft drinks at games to save money for flight lessons.
"I would climb up and down the stairs of Neyland Stadium selling soft drinks," Lt. Col. Hassell said. "I always lived for the days that we had fighter jets ... I would just stop and I would block the stairs and I would stare as they flew overhead."
Now, he's a pilot in the Air Force. Lt. Col. Hassell served tours in Afghanistan and Syria. He now helps train new F-35 pilots in Florida.
Lt. Col. Hassell will get to fly over Neyland Stadium, for the first time, in an F-35 fighter jet on Saturday. He flew over the stadium in a practice run on Thursday.
"It's a pretty incredible and emotional opportunity," Lt. Col. Hassell said. "It's definitely a lot faster when you see it from our perspective."
In 2004, Lt. Col. Brad Matherne graduated from UT's Air Force ROTC program. He said he went to almost all of the football games at UT and watched the flyovers.
"I said to myself, 'One day, I'm going to do that,'" Lt. Col. Matherne said. "This is where it all started for me."
Lt. Col. Matherne said this weekend will be his first time flying over Neyland Stadium, and probably his last, so he'll savor every minute of it.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I'm looking forward to it," Lt. Col. Matherne said.