09/03/2026
Before there was an LWM-5, there was a young engineer at Douglas Aerospace, and later a company holding defense contracts through the Vietnam War. John Ellis spent his whole early career around precision — patented measuring devices, government inspections, work the aircraft industry still uses.
Then he turned that same attention to a glass of water and never really stopped. US Patent 6,409,888. Forty-plus years on one idea. Still building every LWM-5 with his family today, at 96.
Some people retire. John just changed what he was measuring.