Although she found engineering challenging, she wanted more, and by then, her desire to be an astronaut was strong. Through her supervisors, she was introduced to the Space Shuttle Challenger Commander, Dick Scobe, an Air Force officer. He recommended I join the Navy, because historically, there are more officers in the Navy selected for the Space Shuttle Program. She joined the Navy in 1985 with the intention of pursuing the Space Program. Still said she was impressed by the difficulty of the challenges she faced as a naval aviator in training.
Every flight is graded and an instructor is along.
Still progressed from a student on small propeller aircraft to an advanced jet instructor within two years. The squadron set up missile simulations and performed training exercises with battle groups. A major breakthrough in Still's career came about when she was selected to attend U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Md., from 1992 to 1993. According to Still, many people have misconceptions about what a test pilot does. Being a test pilot doesn't mean you test the planes to see if they will fly.