When I was 14, I began reading about jet planes, spacecraft and the pilots that flew them. I read about pilots such as Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield and planes such as the Skyrocket and the X-15. I learned about Project Mercury, Gemini & Apollo.
In the past several years, the history I read about came to life through a conversation with Jack Nunnally. I’ve heard stories of Jack’s feats of aviation as an Air Force fighter pilot and North American Aviation test pilot - first-hand accounts from a pilot THAT WAS part of the history of the golden age of flight testing high performance jets. I marvel at the stories of the legendary people and machines that Jack has worked with such as Chuck Yeager, Wheaties Welch, his boss Scott Crossfield who was the first to fly twice the speed of sound, Bob Hoover who is a legend of air shows, Harrison "Stormy" Storms who led the Space Division of North American Aviation, and many others.
Jack's inspiration to fly began when he was a boy and his mother took him to an air field in Florida to meet Charles Lindbergh who had recently flown solo across the Atlantic. Lindbergh picked up Jack and set him in the cockpit of his plane. This experience inspired Jack's future to be a pilot. That's one of the many stories that Jack has shared. He talks with delight about flying the P-51, P-40, F-86, F-100 and many more. His accounts were first-hand from a person who saw airplanes go from atmospheric flight to the moon and back. After testing airplanes for North American Aviation, Jack moved to Huntsville to help develop and build the second stage of the Saturn 5 moon rocket. Later, he helped North American/Rockwell build the Space Shuttle. Simultaneously, he served as the commander of the Alabama Air National Guard. What a life he has seen and experienced.
Maybe this is how people felt when meeting Jesus’ disciples. The stories had spread around about the miracles performed. Then, they ran into a disciples and hear them talking about helping feed thousands with five loaves and two fish, seeing the demons cast out, sight restored to a blind man, and people coming back to life! Nothing is better than hearing an eyewitness account. Thankfully, these first-hand accounts were written for us to read today. The stories come alive because Jesus is still alive and speaks to us through these stories. We gather together in Sunday school and covenant groups to share these stories and how they impact us.
On July 4, 2010, Jackson Leo Nunnally passed away. How fitting for this man who served his country in the U.S. Air Force, testing aircraft for the military and building the machines that powered Apollo and the Space Shuttle.
This past spring, Jack Nunnally came to my office after being released from re-hab. He presented to me his signature on a die cast model of a North American Aviation (NAA) F-86 that says, “F-86F To Dean Johnson. From Col. Jack Nunnally. 1st Supersonic Airplane.” Rob Lindstrom gave me the model a couple of years ago with the idea of getting Jack to sign it.
The next hour, Jack told me stories of his aviation feats, first-hand accounts of living & flying in China and Japan during World War II and the Korean War, creating the Florida Rockets flying team and pride in his work as a test pilot.
Jack’s stories came in bits and pieces as he jumped, in the matter of a sentence, from subjects of the Apollo 1 fire to working with NAA’s CEO to flying in China. I drew on experience of similar “dot to dot” conversations with Granddady and patiently connected the dots because Jack used key words that reminded me of what I read in history books. I saw the smile on Jack’s face as he shared story after story. For one last time, I was in the presence of an aviation hero talking about his life’s passions.
Following Jack’s memorial service, Charlene Pinke pointed out photos of Jack and his different appearance between official Air Force portraits of Col. Nunnally compared to photos of him in the cockpit. The portraits showed a serious smile whereas cockpit photos showed a broad smile of delight. Jack was a man who followed his passion and made it possible for others to follow theirs.
Every time I see this F-86 model in my office, it reminds me of the many hallway conversations we had, but especially the last one we shared together. Thank you Jack for letting me see your face alight with pride, delight and fascination.
