The Accidental Engineer – Developing Your Spatial Mind

Entrepreneurs, inventors, and handymen are quasi-engineers. They may not have the education of an engineering degree but you can rest assured that they know a thing or two about how to build things and make them work. I call these folks, especially after 20-30 years in the business, Accidental Engineers. Let me explain.

Over the years, prior to my retirement, I’ve engineered lots of stuff, mostly Mobile Car Wash Equipment, pollution control equipment, as that was the industry I was in. But, I guess when asked if I am an engineer, the answer is no, not really. No engineering degree, and not a lot of engineering in the strict sense of the word, but like other entrepreneurs, handymen and innovators, well, I’ve created lots of designs and prototypes.

With that quasi-engineering experience could I design an aircraft? Well, I ask you, can a two bicycle mechanics design the first aircraft? The answer is yes, we know that from history; The Wright Brothers. Interestingly enough, over the years I’ve developed an ability; I often see airflow in my mind when designing aircraft and vehicles, or fluid dynamics when designing boat hulls or underwater devices.

That’s rather interesting isn’t it? At first I considered it really weird, but then learned these types of things happen to lots of artists, inventors, innovators in their various fields. Those who design software say they see it too, so too do sculptors, and mechanical engineers. They see the workings and the completed work in advance, like an artist reads a canvas or a song writer hears it in his head.

But how do things like this develop? Well, I can only consider how it might have happened to me. You see, it probably came from my early days cleaning aircraft and imagining the flow of air over the surfaces I was cleaning or putting a coat of wax on. Also, using a pressure washer I washed the spray go over the wings, visualizing it. Or watching an aircraft start up and smoke come out and flow over the fuselage and emphanage?

Of course, I am just guessing, and I am not sure why my mind does that, it just does; Who knows? But, I just bet that Burt Rutan, Von Braun, and have or had this ability too. I’ve heard of this weird mind characteristic before. I am sure other designers that are much more into it, do this much better than I, but it must be a trick of the spatial mind.

All my engineering was real world, no educational experience, just solving problems, entrepreneurial style. I can design anything (at least I believe that, probably half the battle?) and can create a prototype that will do anything, but this came a great sacrifice and I crashed and burned more prototypes that cost me more money and time than you will ever imagine!

If you want to develop your mind to “see” and feel the object, whether it exists in reality or only in your mind, you can do this too. It’s a different way of seeing things, of experiencing, but it’s available, I believe to anyone that wants to enjoy it. Please consider this.