He accepted a teaching position in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati, having chosen Cincinnati over other universities, including his alma mater Purdue, because Cincinnati had a small aerospace department, and said he hoped the faculty there would not be annoyed that he came straight into a professorship with only a USC master's degree.
Ia mendapatkan jabatan mengajar di Departemen Teknik Penerbangan Universitas Cincinnati, setelah memutuskan memilih Cincinnati daripada universitas lain, termasuk alma maternya, Purdue, karena memiliki departemen penerbangan yang kecil; ia berharap para anggota fakultas tidak sebal mengetahui ia langsung menjadi profesor dengan gelar master dari USC.