![]() ![]() No one could touch his results – and it’s a good thing, because he needed the results to keep people working with him. ![]() ![]() With credits for the first US Jet fighter, the first super-sonic jet fighter, the U2 Spy plane, and the SR-71 Blackbird, he was the preeminent aerospace engineer and businessman of his era. ![]() He was willing – sometimes too willing – to go toe-to-toe with generals and as quiet as a jet engine about getting what he felt he needed – and only what he needed – to be successful. The stories of Kelly Johnson are remarkable. What Johnson and Rich accomplished at Skunk Works is simply remarkable by any measure. (See my review of The Complete Book of the SR-71 Blackbird.) However, what I couldn’t fully convey is my appreciation of the organization that created it – and much of the technical wizardry that moved us from late to the game to generations ahead of the competition. I’ve made no secret of my love for the SR-71 Blackbird. Ben Rich – who took the helm after Clarence “Kelly” Johnson – mixes personal stories of triumph and frustration into a compelling read in Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed. I’m in awe of the organization that was the Lockheed Skunk Works. ![]()
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