post 3

One of the best parts about working at the Aerospace Institute is meeting people. In my first week I met the president and CEO of OAI, Michael Heil, who is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and has a doctorate in aerospace engineering. On Thursday, I had the privilege of meeting a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force who is currently a test pilot. Gary (my sponsor) has said in the past that he runs into astronauts every once in a while, so maybe I will get to meet an astronaut before the end of my project (which would be awesome). On Friday, I spent a lot of time on simulating maneuvering planes in the air so that they could come in for a landing. At first it was pretty difficult, but the simulations are a lot like video games; once you know the controls and have practiced for a while, it becomes much easier. I thought that it was fun vectoring planes and taking hand offs and I feel that I am learning a lot about air traffic control and simulation.