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Today's Flight Plan

Have you ever wondered where the data for Garmin Synthetic Vision, EGPWS data, or even 3D terrain data on Google or Apple maps comes from? Well, it comes from a Space Shuttle Mission, STS-99, that mapped the earths topography.

That mission (and many, many more) were under the watchful eye of the Flight Director at NASA. We have that Flight Director, Paul Dye, on the show with us today.

If 35 years of Flight Director experience at NASA, building relations with the Russians at the MIR Space Station AND overseeing much of the building of the International Space Station isn't enough to get you excited, there's more.

Paul is also the Editor-in-Chief for Kitplanes magazine. Always an avid aviator throughout his career at NASA, he continues to enjoy flying airplanes with his wife (also a pilot).

Paul's career has largely been one of Experimental Aircraft. The Space Shuttle was always considered experimental, and now he works within the experimental field in working with Kitplanes Magazine.

Get ready to lift-off! This is an episode not to miss.

Useful Links

NASA Bio (http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/shuttle-mir/people/p-t-dye.htm)
Kitplanes Magazine (http://www.kitplanes.com)

Videos
Last Week at NASA Interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4pg_edw2_A)
KitPlanes Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvNf7tvJvWO7VnZKKq8v8w)

STS-99 Post Flight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ckp3K9ax-4)

Credits

Paul Dye

Non-NASA Bio
Paul Dye has over 40 years of aviation experience as an engineer, builder and pilot. His scope has ranged from restoring J-3 Cubs to planning and leading manned spaceflights. His love of flying machines dates back to early childhood, and he became involved with full-sized aircraft as a teenager, rebuilding J-3 Cubs with an FBO in Minnesota. He earned his degree in Aeronautical Engineering with a specialization in aircraft design and flight testing from the University of Minnesota in 1982. He worked in increasingly responsible roles within the US Manned Space Program since that time, both as a technical expert in spacecraft systems and eventually as the overall lead of many missions to space. He retired from NASA in 2013 as the longest-serving Flight Director in U.S. history. The winner of many prestigious awards, he delights in bringing the lessons learned from the most advanced flight operations back to the general aviation world for pilots and builders to understand. He is well-known as a risk-management specialist, and advises designers and builders – as well as pilots – on ways to build and operate aircraft with greater margins of safety. He is a Leadership Consultant and speaker available to corporations and groups who wish to better their organizations and people.

Mr. Dye has owned a number of aircraft over the years, and is currently deeply involved in the Experimental Aircraft movement. He is flying an RV-8 that he built himself, as well as an RV-6 which was purchased flying by his wife. He and his wife finished building an RV-3 in 2012, and have flown it from coast to coast and from the gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border. He is an EAA technical Counselor and Flight Advisor, and does extensive product development testing for a number of avionics and airframe accessory manufacturers serving the experimental market.