Dr. Popson,

Thank you for your letter. Let me reply to your questions.

I obtained an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from George Washington University. In graduate school, I had the opportunity to work with aerospace engineers at Langley Air Force Base. I am particularly proud of one project I helped with. I hope you’ve heard about the successful flight of NASA’s X-43A in March, 2004. I helped analyze the aerodynamics of the Pegasus booster with the test vehicle attached. The flight reached a speed of Mach 10.

I analyzed real-time data from a full-scale simulator of a medium-range, commercial plane. And I used NASA’s remote-controlled model plane to validate some wind-tunnel data on out-of-control conditions.

After I completed my M.S. degree, Bell Helicopter–Textron hired me to work on vertical lift projects. About 2 months later, my supervisor asked me to work on a project at the Paxtuxent Naval Air Station Maryland. The project involves the UH-1 Huey and the AH-1 Cobra helicopters for the Marines. I’ve also been able to see the flight of the new V-22 tiltrotor. They all really are awesome machines.

Sincerely,
Josh Keane

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