'Really special to me' | Pilot returns to Kentucky to fly in Thunder Over Louisville air show | Thunder

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A pilot from Oldham County's career in the Air Force has taken him to places all over the world. But this weekend, there's a special destination — home.

Col. Aaron Weedman is in the Air Force Reserves. He's a husband, father, and commander of the 924th Fighter Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. He's from Oldham County, Kentucky, and much of his family still lives in the area.

"I grew up in La Grange, Kentucky," Weedman said. "I married a girl from Crestwood, Kentucky."

This weekend, he's back in the Bluegrass to fly in the Thunder Over Louisville air show.

"It's really special for me to get to come home and bring an airplane that I love," he said.

Weedman landed at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base Thursday evening, gearing up for Saturday's event. He's been to Thunder before as a spectator, but this will be his first time participating in the event as a pilot. He'll be flying an A-10.

"I represent the Air Force, flying and commanding the 924th fighter group and flying the A-10. And then, in my civilian job, I work here for UPS," he said. "So even though I don't live here anymore and I haven't lived here in about 26 years, the first 18 years of my life I lived here. Thunder Over Louisville was something that we did that really got me interested in aviation."

While he holds on to the memories from Thunders' past, this time he'll be making memories from the sky.

"It's really neat to have been a little boy looking up — or not a little boy but a teenage boy — looking up and seeing A-10s fly over and thinking, 'I want to be one of those guys one day,' and now I'm here," he said. "I am one of those guys. So that's really special to me."

Weedman said he owes much of his aviation career to the city of Louisville.

"Honestly, Thunder Over Louisville kind of got me interested in aviation," he said.

Weedman is hoping his participation in Thunder this year can help inspire the next group of pilots to one day take flight.

"The only thing I can do is pay it forward and come out to an air show and try to motivate the next generation," he said.

Weedman said he's been in Tucson about eight months. Before then, he was at Luke Air Force base in Phoenix, Arizona flying F-16s and was also previously at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

More Thunder Over Louisville Coverage: