Climbing into My Dream: An Aerospace Engineer’S Journey

by William Dye

Get the inside scoop on the U.S. space program from an aerospace engineer with more than three decades of experience.

Bill Dye is one of the lucky ones. Like so many of his childhood pals, he dreamed of flying jets or being a console guy launching satellites. Unlike so many young boys who wished for a life of adventure amid the romance of space travel, Bills dream became his reality. His boyhood passion for airplanes and rockets, fueled by his parents encouragement, launched him into an exciting, fulfilling career in aerospace.

In Dyes often humorous, entertaining memoir, youll get the inside scoop on the U.S. space program from an aerospace engineer with more than three decades of experience. Youll discover how a kid who used to win science fairs and fire off homemade rockets ends up directing the design and development of several spacecraftincluding IKONOS, an Earth-observation satellite that changed the world.

He is proof that even the loftiest dreams are attainable with the right opportunities, the right education, and the right attitude.

As a fellow aerospace engineer, once I started reading Climbing into My Dream, I couldnt put it down. Many of us from different backgrounds went on this exhausting but exhilarating journey. Bill Dye was the go-to guy who was fun to be with. His story brought back memories of learning the trade. Tom Dougherty, program director (retired), Lockheed Martin

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2011

About the author

A native of Pennsylvania, Bill Dye had a childhood dream of flying jets or being “a console guy” launching satellites, a dream that became reality. After earning a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering at St. Louis University’s Parks College of Aeronautical Technology, Dye spent thirty-four years working on various aerospace programs, including space shuttle wind tunnel tests, rocket testing, and satellites.
He and his wife, Joyce, live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. Although Bill claims to have retired, he continues to consult “part-time” for aerospace organizations on their spacecraft programs.