Meet the Expert: Guy Wroble, engineer and retired airline pilot

Some might say that I was destined to fly. One of my earliest memories, from when I was perhaps 4 years old, was of a very large silver plane flying over my parents house. When I was older, our house was under the traffic pattern for the local airport and underneath a major west coast jet route. I could lay in the grass and watch airliners and Air Force air planes pass overhead.

I attended university on an Air Force ROTC pilot scholarship. After graduation in 1977 I was assigned to pilot training at Williams AFB near Phoenix, AZ. After graduating from flight school I became an RF-4 Aircraft Commander based at Kadena AB on the island of Okinawa, Japan. After this overseas tour, I became a T-37 Instructor Pilot at Reese AFB (Lubbock, TX) and Sheppard AFB (Wichita Falls, TX).

After six and a half years in the Air Force, I joined the Peace Corps and was a math and science teacher in a rural high school in what was then Swaziland, Africa.

When I returned to flying I was hired by Pan American to fly for their commuter division as a pilot on the ATR-42 (a twin engine turboprop) and the DHC-7 (a four engine turboprop).

In 1991 I was hired by United Airlines. I have worked as a pilot instructor on the 737 and 747. I flew as a first officer (co-pilot) on the 737, 747, 757 and 767. I have also flown as a Captain (Aircraft Commander) on the 727, 737 and A320. A thirty year career with United Airlines gave me the opportunity to fly to five of the seven continents. And my “office window” gave me the best view in the world!

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Challenge:

Do an internet search to find the ultimate paper airplane to make. Give it a try! Make several. See what forces act on the plane as you fly it.

Send us a picture or leave a comment below.We LOVE hearing from you!! If you liked this episode, leave a comment below OR share with us on our Twitter , Instagram or Facebook page.

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Highlighted Book for this Episode! 

Explore Forces and Motion!: With 25 Great Projects by Jennifer Swanson (Author), Bryan Stone (Illustrator)

Book List: 

Beastly Bionics: Rad Robots, Brilliant Biomimicry, and Incredible Inventions Inspired by Nature by Jennifer Swanson

The Big Book of Airplanes (DK Big Books) by DK

Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids: 50+ Exciting STEAM Projects to Design and Build by Christina Schul