Tom Peterson is an aviation professor at Minnesota State University, Airforce Academy Graduate, and flew for the airforce in multiple variants of the 135 Platform during the cold war. He has some interesting encounters with Russians that we get into during the episode. He also has some experience with models that many of you may not have heard of.

He has some great advice for young pilots, those getting from student to professional, and people who want to use VA benefits to pay for flight training. And his career spans some really fascinating history, so get ready for a fascinating conversation.

In This Episode 

9:55 - Stories from Tom’s time in the military during the cold war

14:03 - A civilian flight that was mistakenly shot down and why that happened

15:11 - Tom’s career timeline and how he became a pilot

27:48 - Tips for success in flight training

55:38 - Navigating bureaucracy in the airforce and important lessons learned

1:00:39 - Getting academic people to accept coursework in aviation in universities

1:11:15 - Supporting students when they are struggling

1:20:16 - Cultivating professionalism as a young pilot