Tennessee Ernie Ford sang and probably wrote the song called “Just a Picture on the Wall.” It starts out with the joys he had on an island in the middle of the ocean. Before the song was over, he admitted—There was no island at all; It was just a picture on the wall. I have a picture just above my computer on my wall that made me wonder if it predicted anything that happened to me. It was given to me when I retired from Lockheed in California in December 1989. It is a cartoon style picture that comically illustrates my past and future.
The picture was created by the art department of Lockheed and supervised by one of my associates. Today it would have been created by a computer. Obviously, I was surprised to have so much attention from my associates and the Art department. Now I am thrilled at how prophetic the picture was.
The picture illustrates my past as well as the future. The rocket shows the beginning of my employment at Lockheed Missiles and Space (LM&S) company in Huntsville, Alabama. It was a privilege to have a small part of the engineering of the Saturn 5, the vehicle that launched our astronauts to the moon. I learned valuable engineering and science while working for two years with LM&S. Then I transferred to Lockheed Georgia in Marietta, Georgia. That is symbolized by the Lockheed building on the green grass near the east coast of the US. I was anxious to get back to working on airplanes like I did in California while working at Douglas Aircraft. Fortunately, my past experience put me into the Research Facility where new concepts are discovered to design better airplanes. I spent 20 years as a Research Scientist in Georgia. Much of that time was spent proving that vortices are not enemies in airplane development, but they can be made to work for us. That is why the cartoon C-130 says I am the tamer of the wild vortex! It is interesting to note that the artist used the C-130 to make that comment. The artist did not know that I designed a vortex generating device to put on the vertical tail of the C-130 to improve its flight.
The next cartoon is the bird that says I had 24 plus (almost 25) years working for Lockheed. Why is that bird sitting in California? Lockheed’s financial condition caused the management to shut down part of Lockheed Georgia and send us to California. I needed 2 more years to get my 25 years to retire with a pension. So, off I went to work at Lockheed in Burbank California.
Using the bird for the sign is another part of the prophecy for the birds have been using vortex control forever. Vortex Control and analysis for fighter planes had become a valuable concept during the late 1980s. My knowledge of the concept was needed for an Air Force contract and the design of the F-22 at the Lockheed plant in Burbank, California. Two years seemed to come quickly, and my retirement was completed. In the picture a comment just off the west coast of California was made by one of my close associates. It says, “Happy Retirement, all two weeks of it “That really happened , but the timing was bad. It was more like two years. Lockheed moved back to Georgia and so did I. I finally became a Lockheed consultant and helped finish the Air Force contract.
The picture of me flying my company airplane (Dixon Flying Service) is truly prophetic. After finishing the contract, I started my own company. Instead of calling it Dixon Flying Service I called it Consulting Aviation Services (CAS). I did use an airplane, occasionally for business. The company continued for 25 more years. During that time, we received a copyright for software that predicts airplane flying characteristics including vortex flow effects. Also, we received two United States Patents for vortex control devices that improved both flying characteristics and less drag. Both were proven by flight tests. CAS is still in business but not regularly active. So, I am enjoying my retirement! As I look back I have to thank my Lord, Jesus, for being with me and my family even when I didn’t know it.
Thanks for letting me share my prophetic picture with you. You can enjoy much
more of my life of flying and aerospace engineering adventures in my book called Chasing a Whirlwind.” My wife and I teamed up to author this book. She also authored a book about her life, which shares the difficulties of having severe liver problems and a liver transplant. The book is called “Born Three Times.” Also, she shares her thoughts about looking for a husband. She said she was looking for Saint Superman, but she got me. Well, at least I took her flying in a small airplane. It was called “Love at First Flight.” You can find all this information in our website hppts://chasingawhirlwind.com
