HAZEL GREEN, Ala. — Inside a hangar in Hazel Green, a dream is taking shape one rivet at a time. Brandon Vilt, a retired Army master sergeant and decorated veteran of two decades in military aviation, is hand-building his own airplane — a Zenith 750 Super Duty — from a kit. For most builders, it would be a labor of love. For Vilt, who lost his left leg in Iraq in 2007, it is something far greater: proof that no obstacle, no matter how devastating, has the power to permanently ground you.
Vilt served with the 25th Infantry Division, spending much of his Army career working on helicopters before transitioning to unmanned aerial systems. During his first deployment to Iraq, he lost a leg in a devastating accident.
“A vehicle ran my checkpoint,” Vilt said. “They didn’t stop when they were supposed to. It hit a jersey barrier — like a big cement barrier — and it fell on top of my leg and pretty much amputated it instantly.”…