One intense guy. That was my impression of Joe Bill Dryden when I first met him in 1988. His text, after five years of working with him as an editor, never altered this impression. His first drafts always had a look of determination, as if he had chiseled them in stone. Joe Bill was one of the lucky few writers who never had to search for his own voice. He seemed to have had one from the start. And that voice was distinct and strong. His was the only work from a technical writer that I've ever had to tone down instead of beef up. Joe Bill never resorted to the passive voice pussyfooting so common in large corporations. He was always direct.

Over the years, I came to understand that his intensity was not driven by fighter-pilot pride (though he arguably had plenty of that). It was driven by a profound concern for his fellow F-16 operators. When Joe Bill used the word you in his articles, everyone knew what he meant - the F-16 pilot. He based his opinions on an objectivity informed by a lifetime of experience in the cockpit. In other words, be had a real feel for the systems and how they worked for those who would have to work them. He never hid an agenda. When he had one, he'd shove it in your face. He wanted F-16 operators to have the most effective and safest equipment that our technology can provide. And he wanted them to use it effectively and safely. To Joe Bill, "Check Six" meant much more than looking behind your back.

Joe Bill Dryden died on 24 May 1993 when his F-16 crashed during a company acceptance flight over north central Texas. He will be missed by many people.

The photograph above was taken in May specifically for his Semper Viper book. The letter from Joe Bill on page 2 was the last writing that he did for a Code One publication. Joe Bill had wanted to do a second Semper Viper book ever since copies of the first one dried up. I'm sure he believed that there would be more Semper Viper collections to come. As it turned out, the last article in this collection was his final article in Code One and a fitting finale for a man who cared so much about those who fly fighter aircraft.

Eric Hehs
Managing Editor, Code One