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I read, studied, and learned everything I could find about aviation. It was my greatest desire to become a pilot. I could already picture myself in the cockpit of an airliner or in a military fighter plane. I felt deep in my heart this was my thing!

I always wanted to be a pilot.

I got my private pilot's license in autumn 1986.

My pilot's license. I'm proud of that.

My first inclination was toward flying and being a pilot.

I made about fifty-four dollars a week and spent it on two flying lessons every week at the age of sixteen and was able to get a license then pretty early and knew that that's what I wanted to do, some kind of a career in aviation. I did know about space flight, but at that point, it was still pretty far out there.

I grew up thinking that I would become a fighter pilot and was fascinated by aircrafts as I had grown up around that. But my father encouraged me to not become an Air Force person, given the varied interests I had, be it books, movies, sports or fighter flying.

I'll admit I wanted to be a pilot, originally.

Dad endorsed my learning to fly so he would have a live-in pilot, one he could get in touch with at any time.