Ken Cockrell

UWF degree and year of graduation:
Master of Science in Aeronautical Systems 1974

Why did you choose to attend UWF?
The Navy selected me for the program. Early in the 1970’s, UWF had a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering in partnership with the Navy where qualified candidates were selected for the masters program in aeronautical systems. I was in the Navy’s flight training program, selected to fly jets after the primary flight training at Saufley Field. Because of my background in engineering, and that I would be doing jet flight training which was available in Pensacola, I was selected for the program. It was a plus to be able to stay in the Pensacola area.

What were your goals as a student?
Basic survival. It was a very busy time and it was difficult to do both programs (flight training and master’s degree) successfully. I also wanted to eventually become a test pilot and I knew that this program would assist me with that goal. It was a blur of activity because I would attend UWF in the morning and do my flying in the afternoons.

What is your best memory from your days at UWF?
I liked it because it was a smaller setting and compared to other schools, it was much more personal. Campus was very peaceful. I wasn’t exposed to a lot of other students on the UWF campus because the master program was pretty isolated.

What do you do now?
I am Program Manager for NASA’s two WB-57F high altitude research airplanes and serve as a pilot for research flights. There are only two operational left in the world. I’m also a T-38 Instructor Pilot for astronaut flight training.

How did UWF help you progress to this point?
Learning time management during the master’s program prepared me to do many things and keep moving forward despite a busy schedule and the demands of flight training.

Outside of working, what activities and organizations are you currently involved in and what are your hobbies?
Yard work because I do it every weekend. My real hobby is music, I play the keyboard and sing harmony in an all astronaut rock-n-roll band. We are the house band for several events around NASA.

How do you stay connected to UWF?
Alumni e-mail, UWF Connection and I participated in Celebration of Science in 2004 on campus.

What advice do you have to current and future UWF students?
Be a doer, not just a consumer. Have a dream. I was lucky because I had always wanted to fly as a very young person. Once you have your dream, apply yourself as hard as you can to realize that dream. This will give you your path in life.

What quality makes UWF special or unique?
I only attended two universities. I would say UWF was more of a family of students because it was smaller and it felt more personal.

Visit Ken’s NASA bio for more information: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cockrell.html

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