Nobody told me I was a child prodigy.
Imagine a civilisation that's way in advance of us wants to communicate with us, and assist us in our development. The information we provide to them must reflect our highest aspirations and ideals, and not just be some crazy person's bizarre politics or religion.
The Lockheed Skunk Works, led by Kelly Johnson, was responsible for its Advanced Development Projects - everything from the P-80, the first U.S. jet fighter plane, to the U-2 and A-12 spy planes.
Everything in my life has happened very early, personally and professionally.
I was actually not some sort of a child prodigy by any stretch.
My parents say that even as a very, very little kid, the way that I acted was dramatically different from other little kids.
I was like a mutant when I was a boy. I learned to read when I was four years old; it was like a miracle.
Young people are forced to mature sooner now than in the '40s. I was doing things at age 14 that guys in the movie were just beginning to do at 16 and 17.
