Photo by Kathy Barnstorff, NASA Media Office NASA’s lead shuttle flight director Paul Dye speaks with AirVenture attendees at his RV-8.

July 31, 2009 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin  - Paul Dye grew up in Minnesota, in a suburb of the Twin Cities, knowing he wanted to build airplanes.

He probably wouldn’t have guessed back then that some day he would oversee space shuttle flights, but Dye is NASA’s lead shuttle flight director. If the shuttle Endeavour lands on its first attempt Friday morning at 9:48 (Oshkosh time), Dye will watch it from AirVenture’s NASA Pavilion with EAA members instead of from mission control in Houston.

“I worked the 12 days straight I’m allowed to, then flew up to AirVenture in the RV-8 I built,” Dye said. He’s been flying since age 13, soloed at 16, and earned his private ticket at 17. He’s also an EAA Flight Advisor and Tech Counselor.