John Belz grew up in Philadelphia and moved around the U.S.A. a bit before settling in Salt Lake City. Now he is a physics professor at the University of Utah, and in addition to teaching courses at the U, John does research in the field of particle astrophysics using an observatory in Utah's West Desert. John's interest in flying dates back to his teens. He joined the Air Force because he wanted "to fly jets", but his failure to maintain the necessary haircut delayed his pilot training for almost thirty years. Finally, on 9/9/9 he completed his checkride and became a certifiable pilot. He is looking forward to contributing his perspective as a scientist to the Disciples of Flight.