7. , , , , , ., Dave Robertson, one of Kellys original recruits and aerospaces most intuitively smart hydraulic specialist, ridiculed our design by calling it a flying engagement ring. Dave seldom minced words; he kept a fourteen-inch blowgun he had fashioned out of a jets tailpipe on his desk and would fire clay pellets at the necks of any other designers in the big drafting room who got on his nerves. Open, casual and free forum where you can: post and share news events, discuss, debate, learn, or share your knowledge with others or just observe quietlyyou're in control! We have lost something in the aerospace engineering world, and I wish we has leaders like Kelly Johnson around so that we could somehow get it back. Before Rich died of cancer, Andrews took my . Our forte was building technologically advanced airplanes of small number and of high class for highly secret missions., 2 : We already have the means to travel among the stars, but these technologies are locked up in black projects, and it would take an act of God to ever get them out to benefit humanity. And if the ship was totally invisible, it looked like a blank spotlike a hole in the doughnutthat was a dead giveaway, Kelly began receiving all kinds of complaints and threats of lawsuits from communities claiming the Blackbird had shattered windows for miles around. This was all in an era before pressurization, meaning it was very chilly. His statements helped to give credence to reports that the U.S. military has been flying vehicles that mimic alien craft. Beyond his moniker quick, quiet, and quality, he did this by operating by a code that was unique to himself and his subordinates: a living mental set of commandments of sorts that pulled from both his experience and his vision. Harvey Fierstein There's biology in everything, even when you're feeling spiritual. Our security people nabbed him just outside the plant and had him signing national security secrecy forms until he pleaded writers cramp., freedom to take risksand faildefine the heart of a Skunk Works operation., He told me later that he was surprised to learn that with flat surfaces the amount of radar energy returning to the sender is independent of the targets size. 1. "The Skunk Works manager must be delegated practically complete control of his program in all aspects. A future commander resented having only a four-man crew to boss around on a ship that was so secret that the Navy could not even admit it existed. Don Phillips, These UFOs were huge and they would just come to a stop and do a 60 degree, 45 degree, 10 degree turn, and then immediately reverse this action. We develop laser weapon systems, radio frequency and other directed energy technologies for air, ground and sea platforms to provide an affordable countermeasure alternative. Although slight variations exist, they go something like this: 1. Whilst this works out at just over one a year for his entire career, naturally, some years were better than others. During World War II, he designed the speedyP-38 Lightning, which pummeled destroyers and intercepted enemy fighters and bombers from Berlin to Tokyo; late in the war his team developed Americas first operational jet fighter, the P-80, in less than six months. In the later years, many of these aircraft were to do with the concept of stealth. In an e-mail, dated July 29, 1999, apparently addressed to Lindemann, McDonald referenced an excerpt of a discussion with Harold Puthoff, founder of the highly classified U.S. remote viewing program. Instead, Johnson was tasked with developing new military aircraft. Now you can run this goddam place. Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Projects (ADP), known officially as Skunk Works, was a secret aeronautical research facility in Burbank, California. Kelly Johnson's 14 Rules and Practices. You can get straight As from all your Harvard profs, but youll never make the grade unless you are decisive: even a timely wrong decision is better than no decision. We decided to cross France without clearance instead of going the roundabout way. Now its 2021. He should report to a division president or higher. Hall Hibbard told the Lockheed management about Johnsons contributions. His work thrust the aviation industry several decades into the future, going from traveling only a couple of hundred miles per hour to several times the speed of sound! Rule Number 1. I am a true believer. Here, the SR-71, F-117 and U-2 were all tested by the US military. We already have the means to travel among the stars, but these technologies are locked up in black projects, and it would take an act of God to ever get them out to benefit humanity. Although amazed by the new designs precision, Air Ministry officials asked if they could entrust the future of their air force to someone so young. Siddiq Saunderson Moved to L.A. and Immediately Bought a Prius, Millennials and Zillennials Can't Get Enough of Manual Transmissions, Dollar Flight Club Premium Plus (Lifetime Subscription), Tesla Investor Day 2023 Was Pretty Great if You Ignored Elon. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich and Leo Janos. This aircraft could fly at 80,000ft (24,000m), far out of the reach of Soviet radars and interceptors of the time. 3. Many of the systems Johnson pioneered on the Constellation were refined on the L-1011. Funding a program must be timely so that the contractor doesn't have to keep running to the bank to support government projects. During the 1964 Presidential Election, Republican Barry Goldwater and Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson were having a televised debate. 4. His extraordinary leadership of the Lockheed "Skunk Works" cemented his reputation as a legendary figure in American aerospace management. While Lockheed was working on the XP-80 project, access to, and even knowledge of, the design facility was rigidly controlled. Join Facebook to connect with 'Kelly Johnson and others you may know. Strong but small project offices must be provided both by the military and industry. Explore Skunk Quotes by authors including Abraham Lincoln, G-Dragon, and Michael Paterniti at BrainyQuote. The provisions of the Secrecy agreements these people must operate under may be so onerous that using the cancer cure device may have posed a threat to the secret getting out. Regarded as the father of stealth,[1] Ben Rich was responsible for leading the development of the F-117, the first production stealth aircraft. Commercial bid procedures are very often better than military ones. Push more basic inspection responsibility back to subcontractors and vendors. Skunk Works Quotes Showing 1-27 of 27 "We became the most successful advanced projects company in the world by hiring talented people, paying them top dollar, and motivating them into believing that they could produce a Mach 3 airplane like the Blackbird a generation or two ahead of anybody else." "He closed his eyes and promised himself that he would not whimper. Taking action to help you protect what matters most. As such, LBJ decided to reveal the A-12 program and the fact that the USAF was implementing a variant of the A-12, called the SR-71. That may be our most enduring legacy as well as our source of lasting pride., When Congress approved the decision to retire the SR-71, the Smithsonian Institution requested that a Blackbird be delivered for eventual display in the Air and Space Museum in Washington and that we set a new transcontinental speed record delivering it from California to Dulles. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Aircraft programs under Johnson were so cutting edge and historically influential, and his cult of personality and management strategy so effective, that he and Lockheeds Skunk Works (which he also founded) are forever enshrined in mankinds technological hall of fame. He was the lead designer on several of Lockheeds greatest aircraft in the Cold War, as well as being the first leader of Lockheeds infamous Skunk Works division. Johnson also pushed the limits of service ceilings at the time, giving it a service ceiling of 44,000 ft, one of the highest for any aircraft. This cuts down misunderstanding and correspondence to an absolute minimum. We couldnt figure out what in hell it was. The ADP offices stank of plastic- due to the nearby plastic factory. We know what it is. Dec. 22, 1990 12 AM PT. 3. In 1940, the Society of American Engineers (now SAE) awarded Johnson theWright Brothers Medal. Barack Obama On the black paint, he said, you were right about the advantages and I was wrong. He handed me a quarter. Johnson ran the Skunk Works with what was known as Kellys 14 Rules. . According to article published in May 2010 issue of the Mufon UFO Journal - Ben Rich, the Father of the Stealth Fighter-Bomber and former head of Lockheed Skunk Works,had once let out information about Extraterrestrial UFO Visitors Are Real And U.S. Military Travel To Stars Following his graduation from Flint Junior College, Johnson enrolled at the University of Michigan. McDonald said: Well Hal, you asked for it! Clare Boothe Luce, The history of our spiritual life is a continuing search for the unity between ourselves and the world. The Russians never had an inkling of how they were actually contributing to the creation of the airplane being rushed into construction to spy on their homeland., Control is the name of the game and if a Skunk Works really operates right, control is exactly what they wont get., He backed me even though he insisted that it would be a complete waste of my time. Honest to God, there will never be another like him., We became the most successful advanced projects company in the world by hiring talented people, paying them top dollar, and motivating them into believing that they could produce a Mach 3 airplane like the Blackbird a generation or two ahead of anybody else. Strong but small project offices must be provided both by the military and industry. Lockheed wanted to find out what pilots wanted for a second generation jet fighter. That. Just what the F-86 pilots had asked for. "May the Darkness have mercy on me. Although slight variations exist, they go something like this: Kelly's Rules 1. Johnsons work awarded him almost every major aviation award possible. In 1928, Johnson graduated from Flint Central High School. Although, he contributed the most to: During the 1930s, Lockheed, as with most other aircraft manufacturers, strived to make faster and more agile aircraft. By that, his employees should never delay a contract, or overrun on costs, and/or never deliver a product that is subpar. The number of people having any connection with the project must be restricted in an almost vicious manner. 1 : Inside the Skunk Works (Lockheeds secret research and development entity), we were a small, intensely cohesive group consisting of about fifty veteran engineers and designers and a hundred or so expert machinists and shop workers. In 1956, he became Vice President of the Research and Development division, where he was the lead designer on several aircraft. Lindemann added that Bill McDonald received the above information from Andrews from 1994 until their last phone call near Christmas in 1998. Lindemann also noted It should also be known that Dr. Ben R. Rich attended a public aerospace designers and engineers conference in 1993 before his illness overwhelmed him in which he stated in the presence of MUFON Orange County Section Director Jan Harzan and many others that We (i.e., the U.S. aerospace community/military industrial complex) had in its possession the technology to take us to the stars. I don't have time to complain. But some complaints were for real. "Kelly Johnson and the products of his famous Skunk Works epitomize the highest and finest goal of our society, the goal of excellence. Despite his volatile approach, Johnson earned unparalleled loyalty from his highly skilled team. These are the basic operations rules enunciated by founder Kelly Johnson in 1954, as cited in his successor Ben Rich's book: After Ben completed the program and returned to Skunk Works, Kelly asked him for his appraisal of the Harvard Business School. A moment later we were directly over central California, with the Blackbirds continual sonic boom serving as an early wake-up call to the millions sleeping below on this special day. 6. Andrews was a close personal friend of "Skunk Works" CEO Ben Rich the hand-picked successor of Skunk Works founder Kelly Johnson and the man famous for the F-117 Nighthawk "Stealth" fighter, its "half-pint" prototype the "HAVE BLUE", and the top-secret F-19 Stealth Interceptor. And, yes, we really did put it to work. Following Eisenhower becoming president, he chose two Lockheed Constellations to enter service as the first ever Air Force One. Her lips curved in a wicked smile. Dont try to diminish the accomplishment of these people. Clarence Leonard Kelly Johnson 19101990, National Academy of Sciences, accessed 8 September 2012. He was one of seven children, as well as the child of an immigrant, finances were naturally quite tight. No, it wont take someones lifetime to do it. The term "skunk works" comes from a tiny Lockheed Martin facility run by chief engineer Kelly Johnson in the 1940s, which started in a tent next to a malodorous manufacturing plant. As such, the CIA contracted Lockheed to develop a new, undetectable spy plane. However, he didnt remain as a tool designer for long. We may earn a commission from links on this page. You dont need Harvard to teach you that its more important to listen than to talk. 3. He received a Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering and later a Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering. From there the reader is taken back to 1975 where the chief of the Skunk Works, Kelly Johnson, has asked Rich to replace him as he prepares to retire. Kelly Johnson is known for a lot of things. They are working on over 500 projects, from radar coatings to war . One of our colleagues named our walled-in compound Fort Robertson because the guy and the place seemed perfectly mated, and the name stuck. Using what Johnson had pioneered on the P-38, especially speed, Johnson led a group of engineers, including the famous Hall Hibbard and Willis Hawkins. Nearing the time of his retirement, Johnson was a legend at Lockheed, with people dying to having a conversation with him. 8. Due to this, the Model 10 was a major success. Second, we have to devise a new propulsion technology. The specifications applying to the hardware must be agreed to well in advance of contracting. Before mercury, brandy was used to fill thermometers. We all know you wouldn't do that to a book that was truly ancient and fragile. All Rights Reserved. What I was given was the thing you can't earn, and can't keep, and often don't even recognize at the time; I mean joy. If we have the alien technology to cure cancer- as stated above-why did Ben Rich die of cancer? Enjoy reading and share 15 famous quotes about Kelly Johnson Skunkworks with everyone. He is an AIAA Fellow and recipient of the AIAA Aircraft Design Award, the SAE Clarence L. Kelly Johnson Aerospace Vehicle Design and Development Award, The Engineers Council Clarence L. Kelly Johnson Skunk Works Award, and the Lockheed Martin Aero Star Award. The Air Tactical Service Command (ATSC) of the Army Air Force met with Lockheed Aircraft Corporation to express its need for . We develop laser weapon systems, radio frequency and other directed energy technologies for air, ground and sea platforms to provide an affordable countermeasure alternative. Johnson designed the F-104 to be both faster and simpler than the previous generation of jet fighters. Paperback. Following the introduction of the U-2, both the USAF and CIA loved the aircraft. 11. "Come on, Papa. From that day on, the boy and his friends stopped calling him Clara, instead calling him Kelly after a popular song at the time. In 1970 Johnson was awarded theSpirit of St. LouisMedal by theAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers. Lord of the Skunk Works,, Oliver, Myrna. There must be a minimum number of reports required, but important work must be recorded thoroughly. The Skunk Works manager must be delegated practically complete control of his program in all aspects. You could argue, that without Kelly Johnson, there might not have been stealth aircraft, and if there were, at least not to the level available today. Today, these are commonplace on almost all airliners, including those designed by both Airbus and Boeing. , , , , . 8. There must be a monthly cost review covering not only what has been spent and committed but also projected costs to the conclusion of the program. Lockheed elected not to enter the jet airliner market following the introduction of the first jet airliners. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO REGISTER, LET'S BUILD A GREAT COMMUNITY TOGETHER Rule Number 2. I, Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed, Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed. 3. One day, he got tired of being called Clara and tripped one of the other boys, breaking his leg. Beyond being a brilliant aerospace engineer and larger-than-life character, he was able to successfully navigate the pitfalls of the Pentagons crushing bureaucracy and the military brasss need to meddle in every good design. This certainly helped Johnsons career and reputation in the industry. After a 1969 Nixon purge, administration was handled by an international board of directors in the private sector View the profiles of people named 'Kelly Johnson on Facebook. "You all know ? Ursula K. Le Guin, She looked at him. However, the 1960 U-2 incident highlighted to the USAF and CIA that the U-2 wasnt invincible and needed something to prevent that. There is an error in the equations. Another opponent was Ed Martin, who thought that anyone who hadnt been building airplanes since the propeller-driven days wasnt worth talking to, much less listening to. This job was as a tool designer, earning $83 ($1,600) per month. Clarence Kelly Johnson is the Babe Ruth of aerospace design.

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