"From cockpit to pulpit."

That phrase aptly sums up the past 50 years of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's life.

Having had a boyhood dream of flying planes, he joined the air force in his home country, Germany, in 1959. Half a century later, he looks back on a career in aviation that began with earning German and U.S. wings. He trained in the U.S. Air Force from 1960-62, graduating at the top of his class, and served six years as a fighter pilot in the German air force.

President Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, still loves flying, but his focus goes beyond the skies he cruised as a pilot. His concerns are aimed heavenward.

Read the full story via MormonTimes.com.