All in the Family: Brothers Bound by Mission
Growing up, Trevor and his older brother Taylor shared everything: a sense of humor, the same movies and games, and even their childhood bedroom. They became roommates again when both attended the University of Central Florida (UCF). Trevor’s freshman year – Taylor’s senior year – their paths diverged when Taylor was commissioned to become a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and moved to a new state.
“When Taylor visited home, I couldn’t relate to his new life experiences or inside jokes he shared with his fighter pilot friends,” Trevor said. “And I felt left out of conversations with my brother and father, an Army veteran.”
That all changed for Trevor in 2015, when he joined Lockheed Martin through UCF’s College Work Experience Program (CWEP).
Trevor, right, and Taylor growing up as kids in Melbourne, FL. Photo courtesy of Trevor
Mission Connections
In Trevor’s first CWEP role, he worked on the F-16 flight simulator program, which happened to be the same training device Taylor was learning on at Luke Air Force Base.
“Now when he visited home, I was eager to talk about the F-16,” Trevor said. “I wanted to impress him with how much I understood about the platform.”
Trevor, left and Taylor at Taylor’s commissioning ceremony. Photo courtesy of Trevor
Later, Taylor switched aircraft and became an F-35 pilot, and Trevor kept their avionics and “tech talk” bond strong when he moved to his role in Lockheed Martin’s Innovation Demonstration Center in Orlando (IDC). Now, as a software engineer, he helps design code for special flight/demonstration scenarios for the many F-35 simulators and pilot training devices Lockheed Martin develops to help its global customers remain ahead of ready in the face of evolving threats.
“In nearly every demo in the IDC, I talk enthusiastically about how grateful I am for the innovations we create,” Trevor said. “F-35 pilot training devices allowed Taylor to practice dangerous missions over and over in the simulator free from danger before flying the jet.” Taylor also learned to use the Ground Collision Avoidance System, an innovative system that helps prevent F-35s from crashing in an emergency.
Trevor has the added benefit of learning from Taylor’s real-life experiences that can help him improve his programming of certain systems. “Thanks to Lockheed Martin and the work we do, my brother and I have a stronger bond than before, Trevor said.”
