Tribute to Two Skylab Pioneers

Two colorful personalities associated with the 1970s Skylab program died this month within a day of each other. Former astronaut, retired Air Force Colonel and Korean War veteran William R. Pogue, 84, on March 3; and Jack A. Kinsler, 94,on March 4, whose engineering resourcefulness saved the spacecraft. Pogue piloted the Skylab spacecraft in 1973 and 1974, in a then record-setting flight of 84 days. During that time he circled the earth 1,214 times, for a total of 34.5 million miles. He walked in space for several hours over Thanksgiving and Christmas, an event that presaged the multitudinous walks in later space shuttle missions. Pogue and his colleagues, Commander Gerald P. Carr and Scientist Edward G. Gibson, found themselves deluged with daily tasks of maintaining the spacecraft and managing the numerous experiments onboard. Halfway through the mission, they staged a work strike, to protest the lack of time that Pogue wanted to reflect upon their experience, themselves, and the wonder of space. NASA officials built in some "down time" for the crew, which has become standard for space missions.

He became a consultant upon retiring from the Air Force in 1975, and also spoke at hundreds of schools and civic groups. In 1985 he wrote a children's book about space, "How Do You Go To The Bathroom in Space?" based on one of the most common question asked of NASA astronauts.

Jack A. Kinzler was known as NASA's  troubleshooter who applied ordinary items to vexing engineering problems: an American tinkerer in the best sense. His most critical contribution was his development of a collapsible umbrella, made with fishing rods, that deployed outside the spacecraft to protect the damaged Skylab from solar heat and radiation. The device worked, and ensured a safe and comfortable environment for the astronauts. His ingenuity saved the spacecraft and allowed it to be used continuously from 1973 to its end in 1979.

For the Girls: Free Flights for Fun

One of my personal goals for this blog is to reintroduce and reinvigorate aviation's sense of adventure, romance, and yes, fun, in my postings. To that end, today's Washington Post's KidsPost features an article on upcoming free flights for girls and women, by Women Fly It Forward, this Friday, Mar. 7, 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, Mar. 8, 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Frederick Municipal Airport, 310 Aviation Way, Frederick, MD. Just go to womenflyitforward.blogspot.com and click on the register page to reserve your flight.

What About the Prospects for Aerospace Engineers, Aviation Technicians and Mechanics?

Meanwhile, the GAO found that while there is likely to be increased hires for aerospace engineers from now through 2022, hires for mechanics and technicians would either increase only slightly, or remain static. You can read the details here.

Outlook for Commercial Pilot Hires to 2020s

The Government Accountability Office recently released a study examining the hiring prospects for commercial airline pilots from 2014 through the mid-2020s. Drawing on data from industry, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other government and academic sources, the analysts found that commercial aviation hiring estimates range from 1900 to 4500 pilots, with airline transport pilot certification, per year through the next decade. For the full study, click here. The study cautioned that various factors such as the expense of pilot training, overall economic conditions, etc. could alter this outlook.