Reiner Decher retired as professor of Aeronautics & Astronautics at the University of Washington in Seattle . His lifelong interest in the railroad and flight vectored his career toward study of and teaching the sciences related to the engines that power flight vehicles as well as the means to produce the power required by them. Technical contributions were made in the field of magnetohydrodynamics, flight propulsion, and terrestrial as well as space power generation. His studies were completed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and MIT and (regular and consulting) employment periods include AVCO-Everett Research Laboratory, The Boeing Company, and the University of Washington . Academic research experiences included extended stays at the University of Karlsruhe and the Technical University of Berlin ( Germany ) under Fulbright Professor sponsorship as well as the Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne ( Switzerland ).

The author's longest period of residence was in the Pacific Northwest . Thus the love for historical aspects of that part of the world are woven into the story told here. He resides with his wife in Bellevue Washington . Their two daughters and their families also live relatively nearby.