A Christian Engineer's Wide Path

By Joseph Burge

In less than three months, I will be ninety years old. Because of my excellent health, the only long-term prescribed medication I have ever taken is eye drops. My dear wife and I raised four great children, and I have impressive engineering career credentials and extensive private pilot experience. Ironically, I narrowly missed becoming an MD. I also narrowly missed becoming the first man on the moon. Read this book. It tells how my moon miss was by two centimeters.

This is my third published pro-Christian book. The following are my motivations for writing all three of these books.: For book one, I wanted to tell the world about my lovely wife of sixty-two and a half years, Jane. For book two, I express my engineering experience in rocket engines and how very expansive space travel can be. For book three, I express three points of view. First, how critical Christian life motivations are from youth on. Second, I talk about Lady Jane and my delight in our lovely Australian friends and their wonderful nation. Third, I discuss the issues of being a Christian and dealing with non-Christians.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9798890438638

Book preview

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A Christian Engineer's Wide Path

Joseph Burge

ISBN 979-8-89043-862-1 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89043-863-8 (digital)

Copyright © 2024 by Joseph Burge

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Engineer

Chapter 1

Growing Up

Chapter 2

Purdue Engineer

Chapter 3

Douglas Aircraft Path to GE Job

Chapter 4

Biomedical Engineer Option

Chapter 5

Eight-Year USAF Vet / GE Engineer

Chapter 6

Nineteen More GE Engineering Years

Chapter 7

Seven P&W Engineering Years

Chapter 8

Twelve More P&W Engineering Career Years and Three P&W Consultant Years

Chapter 9

Fly, Fly Away

Part 1: Private Pilot

Part 2: One Million-Plus Business Passenger Travel Miles

Part 3: Vacation Travel

Chapter 10

South Africa Vacation

Chapter 11

1989 First Australia Vacation

Chapter 12

1992 Second Australia and First New Zealand Vacation

Chapter 13

2004 Third Australia and First Tasmania Vacation

Chapter 14

Fourth Australia Vacation with Large Gators

Chapter 15

Aussies in the US

Chapter 16

Lady Jane from 2005 to 2018

Chapter 17

A Hunter's Heritage

Chapter 18

Part-Time Carpenter

Chapter 19

Devout Christian

Chapter 20

2005: Start of Christian Retirement

Chapter 21

2018 to 2023 Retirement

Chapter 22

The COVID-19 Conspiracy

Part 1

Part 3: Vaccination Mandates

Part 4: Shutdown Mandates

Chapter 23

The Truly Remarkable Saint Paul of Tarsus

Chapter 24

Advising Christians and Anti-Christians

Chapter 25

The Bible's Wisdom

My Vignettes and Bio

Chapter 26

My Vignettes

Chapter 27

My Bio

List of Illustrations

Addendum

About the Author

Introduction

I am an engineer (BSME, MSAE) and have three PE licenses. I officially retired in 2007 after two summer jobs at Allison, three months at Douglas Aircraft, twenty-seven years at GE, and then twenty years at P&W, followed by being a P&W consultant for three years. After that, I owned a consulting company for five years. Counting only two of the five years with my consulting company, the total is fifty-one years and three months. Three months at Douglas in Los Angeles is how long it took me to find out that, instead of the dream setup I expected, California—engineering-wise—leaves a lot to be desired.

My life, to date, has been a wide range of—sometimes very unusual, sometimes very memorable—events. They are all described in detail in this text. An engineer's brief, by number, listing of these events follows.

At six years old, I was arrested by an Indianapolis police officer for breaking and entering.

At eight years old, I had my Christian baptism with my three brothers,

At twelve years old, I watched two US Army officers meticulously fold my eighteen-year-old brother's burial flag.

At fifteen years old, by the grace of God, my right arm, nearly severed in a car accident, was saved and restored to full functioning.

At twenty years old, at Purdue, I was rejected for US pilot training when my eye convergence was only two centimeters above limits. My classmate, Neil Armstrong (Mr. Moon) passed the same test.

At just twenty-one years old, I became a Purdue engineering graduate. Watch out, world. Here I come!

At fifty-three years old, I was told that I had glaucoma in both eyes.

At eighty-nine and one-half years old, my only required medication is eye drops.

I have managed to outlive my buddy, Neil.

Since very early in my life, I am proud to say that I have been a devout Christian. Also, during and after those fifty-one years and three months, I had quite a few side occupations. Hence, the term wide path. Here is a list of these varied occupations, with a hint about what each was about and referenced chapters.

Aircraft gas turbine engineer—career at Douglas, GE, and P&W consulting company: 5, 6, 7, and 8

Eighty-year USAF reserve vet—three months of active duty (seven years and 9 months at GE stealth program): 5

Biomedical engineer—myringotomy(ear vent) tube; two US and one Israel patents: 4

Private pilot for thirty-eight years and circled the Statue of Liberty at nine hundred feet of altitude: 9

A 1.5 million passenger-mile aircraft business—visited seventeen countries: 8 and 9

Inventor—thirty-five issued patents; GE, P&W, USAF, Israel, JC Burge: 7 and 8

Vertical pedal bicycle—patent applied for; 1925, patent preceded and nullified: 21

Jane and her hubby vacations—worldwide fliers; travelers: 10, 11, 12, and 13

Eye drops—forty-two years and counting; glaucoma drops essential: 7

Musician—my baby grand, choir, Messiah devotee: 21

Firearms—USAF sharpshooter, semi-pro gunsmith, gun collector, NRA member: 17

Author—Lady Jane and Her Beau, An Engineer's Heaven and Mars: 20

Devout Christian—faithful church attendance, church officers, choir: 15

Vignettes—my fun hobby, published book topics: 26

A hunter's heritage—Preteen dad's hunter helper, forest ranger brother, deer hunter: 17

Long-term carpenter—vacation cabin builder; son's home rebuilder: 18

Advising Christians and non-Christians—Saint Paul Admirer: 22, 23, 24, and 25

This text covers all of these occupations, plus a few extras: Ref. Vignettes

Part A

The Engineer

Chapter 1

Growing Up

In my youth, beginning when I was only six years old and recurring through my teens, I managed to be subjected to several really serious, telling situations. Cumulatively, these events had a major impact on my life's career plans and my sincere religious orientation.

On a nice, quiet Saturday morning, when I was only six years old, my teenage brother Dick offered to take me for a bike ride. I was my teenage brother's good buddy. He frequently volunteered to take me on bicycle trips. So on that morning, he sat me on his bicycle's front bar and took me to my father's car repair shop. He intended to get a few bolts to repair his bicycle. Dad was usually there on Saturdays. But when we got there, his shop was closed. My brother found a window with broken glass. He picked me up, pushed me through the window, and told me to go in and open the back door. When I opened the door, a policeman was standing there. He put my brother's bicycle in the shop and closed the door. Then he put my brother and me in the back seat of his car and drove to the police station.

On the way to the station, my brother explained that our father was the shop owner. After we got to the station, we were sat down on the floor in an entry room. At six years of age, if you had that experience, just imagine how frightened you would be. The policeman was then able to contact my father. He confirmed who we were. He also told the policeman that my brother was a type 1 diabetic and that he would very soon require a shot. The police responded quickly. They took my brother to a car and drove him home. That left me, a frightened six-year-old, sitting in a corner by myself.

About thirty minutes later, my dad showed up. Dad and the policeman kidded about me sitting by myself in the corner of the room. Dad and the policeman laughed and joked about my experience. Then Dad said goodbye to my policeman buddy, and he took me home. I did not think any part of that experience was humorous. But I guess I was fortunate that the policeman had not handcuffed us.

About two years after the above, another very life-changing event occurred to me. My dear mother took me and my three brothers to a local church and, right then in the sanctuary, had the pastor baptize all four of us. My mother had been raised in a solid, very strict, God-fearing family. But my father had been raised in a very chaotic, non-Christian family. After her marriage, Mother apparently did not continue her family's religious learning. But our baptizing event showed me that this was not the case.

Although I was only eight years old, I personally was awed by being baptized on the spot by the head pastor of a church.

I honestly believe that, since that time in my life, all of my actions in life have been tempered by that holy happening. Through these events, it became more difficult for me to be a typical carefree youngster. I was also becoming more aware of my family's limited financial circumstances. Each week, Dad gave Mom barely enough money for family expenses. There was no family religion and almost none at school. There was no grace said prior to meals and no church attendance. Only Mom had limited contact with our school teachers. Dad was a frequent user of corporal punishment. However, I loved both of my parents, and I believe they tried to always be good parents.

In addition to becoming much more aware of my family's circumstances, I very soon began making career plans. I had always maintained good school grades. So that was not a problem. It quickly became obvious that the first key limitation was financing.

When I was eleven years old, my third life-changing—prior to being a teen—event occurred. The Second World War was nearly over in 1944. My oldest brother was a senior in high school at that time. He was a well-built, healthy-looking eighteen-year-old. Because of his manly appearance, he was often yelled at in public by people who believed he was a draft dodger. Obviously, he was diabetic .4-F. But he was really bothered by being yelled at. He was also patriotic, and he wanted to serve in the army. So he faked a urine test and joined the army. Within four months, he died while on a bivouac when he could not access his insulin. I was, as was the rest of my family, heartbroken. At his funeral, when the two attending military people meticulously folded his American flag casket cover and handed it to my mother, that act was forever etched in my heart.

Four years later, at age fifteen, I was the victim of my fourth sobering life lesson. This time, it was thanks to my brother John.

I should not have agreed to a car trip to our cabin in Brown County with John as the driver. He had a reputation for being reckless, particularly as a driver. I sat in the right front seat. True to his reckless reputation, in the middle of a turn, he lost control, and we had a head-on collision with another car. It was 1948, and the car did not have seat belts. I was thrown forward, and my upper right arm was driven through the broken right front window. An edge of the broken glass made a deep, long gash through my upper arm. The gash went completely through my arm's radial nerve. The nerve damage was not the immediate problem; it was the bleeding.

By a strange quirk of fate, my brother was on leave from the US Navy. He had very recently completed a Navy medical course that featured emergency tourniquet applications. He quickly removed his shirt and ripped off a sleeve. He then applied the sleeve to my arm in the form of a tourniquet. It worked quite well. My brother then sent a nearby person to a telephone for an ambulance and the police. Later, at a nearby hospital, they discovered the severed radial nerve. This was very serious. A very sophisticated surgery that they did not possess was required to rejoin the nerve. They were starting preparations to remove the arm. Then one of the doctors remembered that such a surgery specialist was teaching the required surgery in a nearby hospital. The specialist was contacted, and he came to the hospital, examined my arm, and agreed to do the surgery. Seventy-four years later, both of my arms are doing quite well. Is my brother's effective tourniquet and the very quick location of the required specialist MD just coincidences? I believe it was the work of my blessed Savior. I owe. I owe. The doctor did a fantastic, wonderful repair job on my arm. To this day, I have never met him or had the opportunity to thank him.

When I woke up after the surgery, my right arm was in a cast, with only the tips of my three middle fingers hanging over the end of it. I never felt any pain then or