I hope you are having a great day! My name is Bob Garcia and I work at Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards California. I am the Crew-Chief of all of the F-16's we have at NASA. My title is Aerospace Engineering Technician/Crew-Chief and I am responsible for all of the maintenance and modifications on the F-16. I want to tell you about myself and encourage you to consider a career in the Aeronautical field. There are many aviation fields to choose from besides flying or maintenance and each career has an important part in the whole spectrum of aeronautics.

Growing up in Reedley influenced my career choice because the area emphasizes jobs in aviation and agriculture. While I was in sixth grade my teacher, Mr. Enns, had a section in science that included aviation and rocketry. That really caught my interest. Mr. Enns made science interesting by bringing models of aircraft and rockets to class that flew. The kids with the highest scores received rides in a real aircraft. Most of the time in school I was an A and B student. My high school auto teacher and my college Aeronautics instructor also influenced me. I have a high school diploma and 2 years in the Aeronautics program from Reedley Junior College.

I grew up in the San Juaquin Valley near Reedley California with 4 sisters and 1 brother. Today my brother works in a warehouse and my sisters have various careers. One sister is a waitress, another works in education, another is in sales, and my fourth sister is a full-time Mom. My family was supportive of my choices and I attended a country school. I would usually only see my friends there, so school was a good place for me to be with my friends.

While in school I set very general goals for myself like finishing school with good grades or getting through a tough class. I didn't understand how important goals were while I was young like I do now. Today, I set long term as well as short term goals all the time. If I could change anything about my schooling and career it would be to have attended a four year university after high school.

I learned about different aeronautical careers while in high school. We had a career planning program that helped very much. Also, math and science are very necessary classes that you need in order to pursue a career in aeronautics. I really enjoy what I do today and I have a good understanding of systems to help solve problems with aircraft. My typical day begins with a meeting with my crew and together we decide what will be accomplished that particular day. It varies from preparing for a flight or in making some type of modification on the aircraft. Whatever is to be done during that day, we all talk together as a crew. We always work toward a common goal. This is rewarding for me because we do testing that is important to our country in the areas of safety, efficiency and giving our country's companies a technical advantage.

I am married and my wife is an aerial photographer. We have two children; Marcus is 16 and Elizabeth is 14. We have a dog and a cat. When I am not working I enjoy backpacking, playing softball, and working at the Little League field. I am a volunteer for the local Little League Baseball program. I have been president for the past 3 years. Someday, I would like to build a Sports Park in my neighborhood. My favorite food is tri -tip roast, my favorite color is red, my favorite book is "The Flight of the Old Dog", my favorite aircraft is the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and my favorite music is by Martina, McBride and Collie Rage.

Questions for Bob:

What was your background and career path to your current position?
Some Aviation interest in high school. I attended Reedley College, which is known for its aviation program. I participated in a Co-op Program with NASA-DFRC through the school.