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. We learned from both crash retrievals and actual hand-me-downs. The Government knew and until 1969 took an active hand in the administration of that information. Even our drawings bore the logo C & Jthe word Lockheed never appeared. His father, ran a construction company and his mother was a homemaker. Instead of giving the SR-71 weapons, Johnson designed the SR-71 to travel at Mach 3.32, making it the fastest aircraft ever. Johnson could have absconded with the dough and taken off on a one-way ticket to Tahiti. 3. This airliner would go on to be one of Lockheeds most successful projects. During the 1964 Presidential Election, Republican Barry Goldwater and Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson were having a televised debate. The Skunk Works manager must be delegated near complete control of his program in all aspects. 'Secret Base' Being Built for 'Man-Eating Aliens' Revealed by US Official Records, The Brooklyn Bridge UFO - The Weirdest Story You'll Ever Hear, Two Suns Theory, Kali Yuga Cycle Completes 2025, Lockheed CEO Ben Rich Declared On His Death Bed: Extraterrestrial UFO Are Real. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Johnson borrowed the idea of the design from the German Focke-Wulf Fw 189as well as the Northrop P-61. Lockheed elected not to enter the jet airliner market following the introduction of the first jet airliners. Kelly Johnson spent over 50 years in the industry, designing some of the worlds most ambitious aircraft. Now you can run this goddam place. As such, the CIA contracted Lockheed to develop a new, undetectable spy plane. They should report to a division president or higher. Hear more revealing testimony from Disclosure Project whistleblowers. Copyright 2023 Famous Quotes & Sayings. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO REGISTER, LET'S BUILD A GREAT COMMUNITY TOGETHER, World Predictions Until 2050 by Remote Viewer E.M Nicolay. Another of our pilots got in engine trouble over Utah and flamed out. I asked my backseater, who said, Dont worry about it. Welcome back. 2. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson would have celebrated his 100th birthday three days ago if he still was with us, his name is pretty well known to anyone with an interest in aviation. Any one of his many airplane designs would have honored any individual's career." President Lyndon B. Johnson. 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. 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. The young engineers name was Clarence Johnson, but ever since hed trounced a local bully in grade school, he went by the more defiant nickname: Kelly, which suited his fierce and pugnacious personality. At the highest levels, the Navy brass was equally unenthusiastic about the small number of stealth ships they would need to defend carrier task forces. 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. Kelly Johnson is known for a lot of things. The Constellation was the first aircraft with pressurization, which made the cabin much quieter. In total, Johnson shepherded some forty military and civilian aircraft into production. 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. After a 1969 Nixon purge, administration was handled by an international board of directors in the private sector And, yes, we really did put it to work. The Skunk Works manager must be delegated practically complete control of his program in all aspects. Learn how we are strengthening the economies, industries and communities of our global partner nations. We got these things that are handhold scanners that scan the body and determine what the condition is. All rights reserved. Anything you can imagine, we already know how to do.. 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. 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. The History of Barnstorming Explained! His extraordinary leadership of the Lockheed "Skunk Works" cemented his reputation as a legendary figure in American aerospace management. At the age of only 13, Johnson was designing his own aircraft. Both Imperial Japanese Navy and Luftwaffe pilots were afraid of this aircraft due to its incredible speed. A very simple drawing and drawing release system with great flexibility for making changes must be provided. His record of design achievement in aviation is both incomparable and virtually incredible. IT WASNT. He told this boy that his was not Clara and if he persisted, he do it again. In 1975, Kelly Johnson retired from Lockheed as a corporate vice president, leaving his personal understudy Ben Rich to head the Skunk Works. He was the kind of enthusiastic visionary that bulled his way past vast odds to achieve great successes, in much the same way as Edison, Ford, and other immortal tinkerers of the past. This job was as a tool designer, earning $83 ($1,600) per month. Arming U-2s wasnt an option- this would decrease the service ceiling of the U-2 and make it easier for Soviet radars to detect. He received a Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering and later a Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Search for jobs related to kelly johnson skunk works quotes or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 19m+ jobs. Here, he managed to convince him that the Model 10 was unstable, with Johnson leading the tails redesign. I doubt it would be pretty, as i seems to go against almost every single one of his commandments and it definitely is not quick, quiet and quality.. The ocean waves showed up on radar like a string of tracer bullets. One Lockheed engineer, the Skunk Works founder Kelly Johnson, had an idea for how they could beat the Nazis' groundbreaking plane. Lockheed Skunk Works former CEO knew the Roswell extraterrestrial UFO influenced designs of Testor model kits for Roswell UFO models, and U.S. top secret aircraft. I often wonder what Kelly Johnson would think of Americas aerospace industry today, when we have airframe design and aeronautical performance have arguably devolved, but avionics and sensors are more advanced than ever. Johnson delivered an aircraft that could travel faster than 400 km/h, with a superior range. Although slight variations exist, they go something like this: Kelly's Rules 1. Eventually, the local newspaper caught on to that name. Thanks to the fame and fortune he has earned from his work. Then she looked at the table stacked with books. Other boys used to gang up on him and call him Clara. "He closed his eyes and promised himself that he would not whimper. Any workernot just a supervisor or a managercould send back a part that didnt meet his or her standards. Due to this, the Model 10 was a major success. The phrase; "keep it simple, stupid" is thought to have been coined by the late Kelly Johnson, who was the lead engineer at the Lockheed Skunk Works (a place responsible for the S-71 Blackbird spy plane amongst many other notable achievements). This cuts down misunderstanding and correspondence to an absolute minimum. 11. 6. This airliner also had to fly 3,500mi (5,600km), well beyond the capabilities of any aircraft in 1939. Here, the SR-71, F-117 and U-2 were all tested by the US military. 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. In 1939, TWA, at the behest of Howard Hughes, commissioned Lockheed to build an airliner that was faster than anything on the market. Dont duplicate so much inspection. Dave Reichert, Being transgender, like being gay, tall, short, white, black, male, or female, is another part of the human condition that makes each individual unique, and something over which we have no control. Print length 224 pages Language English One of our colleagues named our walled-in compound Fort Robertson because the guy and the place seemed perfectly mated, and the name stuck. He was the lead designer on several of Lockheed's greatest aircraft in the Cold War, as well as being the first leader of Lockheed's infamous Skunk Works division. The Skunk Works manager must be delegated practically complete control of their program in all aspects. February 27, 1910-December 21, 1990. The Skunk Works' program manager must be delegated practically complete control of his program in all aspects. Many of the principles that Johnson implemented have since become a standard in the industry, and for Lockheed Martin in particular. Well, if they were hostile, with their weaponry they could have destroyed us a long time ago. In 1956, he became Vice President of the Research and Development division, where he was the lead designer on several aircraft. How did he achieve such amazing success? Kelly Johnson lived a comfortable life with his family. 6. Dont come with this it was UFO technology all this time. Yes, it is time. If it looks ugly, it will fly the same. 3. Lockheed wanted to find out what pilots wanted for a second generation jet fighter. What we have to do is find out where Einstein went wrong., 4 : When Rich was asked how UFO propulsion worked, he said, Let me ask you. 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. Robertson hated having anyone look over his shoulder at his drawing and reacted by grabbing a culprits tie and cutting it off with scissors. Access by outsiders to the project and its personnel must be strictly controlled by appropriate security measures. Kelly Johnson left an impact on both Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) and aircraft design. The number of people having any connection with the project must be restricted in an almost vicious manner. On December 22, 1990 Kelly Johnson, the founder of Skunk Works died at the age of 80. The main tenants of his management are: efficiency; reliability and cost-effectiveness. Johnson resigned from the corporate board of directors in 1980, but continued on as a senior advisor until his death. Although slight variations exist, they go something like this: 1. We develop laser weapon systems, radio frequency and other directed energy technologies for air, ground and sea platforms to provide an affordable countermeasure alternative. 3. The team (and its leader) must earn this trust. 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. 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. . , . Following Eisenhower becoming president, he chose two Lockheed Constellations to enter service as the first ever Air Force One. Documentary History War The history of Skunk Works, the top-secret division of Lockheed that specialised in extreme, highly classified military aircraft design. Push more basic inspection responsibility back to subcontractors and vendors. You dont need Harvard to teach you that its more important to listen than to talk. Join Facebook to connect with 'Kelly Johnson and others you may know. Just what the F-86 pilots had asked for. While Lockheed was working on the XP-80 project, access to, and even knowledge of, the design facility was rigidly controlled. His work was instrumental in preventing a Soviet win during the Cold War. In the video, Speed Racer launches from a Beech 1900, a civilian aircraft the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps fly as the C-12 Huron. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I told him to stand by. I didn`t see the craft, nor did I see the bodies, but I certainly know some of the people that did. He lived by the motto Be quick, be quiet, be on time. So, while in London to finalize the sale of the new Hudson bomber, the British Air Ministry requested numerous design changes, and Johnson took on the challenge over three nearly sleepless days. These include: Kelly Johnson had spent his entire career working for Lockheed. What he said might be new to many people today, but he revealed the information before his death in January 1995. Kelly's Rules. There is also the Secrecy aspect. With its premium plus plan, youll be able to browse flight deals going for up to 90% off in business, premium economy, and economy class. That's not a bad thing, its just going to take a while before we refocus. SIGNING UP IS FAST, EASY AND FREE (TAKES LESS THAN A MINUTE AND IT'S A FREE FORUM), CLICK IMAGE FOR VIDEO, MAP & ARTICLE LINKS. Kelly Johnson's 14 Rules and Practices. Imperious, passionate, and demanding, Johnson was just as likely to deliver a kick to someones pants as a compliment to his face. Kelly: More Than My Share of It All by Clarence L. Johnson 605 ratings, 4.20 average rating, 56 reviews Open Preview Kelly Quotes Showing 1-26 of 26 "Listen; you'll never learn anything by talking. I had the honor of piloting that final flight on March 6, 1990, for its final 2,300-mile flight between L.A. and D.C. 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. Rudolf Steiner, One person is always too many around me. The checks arrived by regular mail at his Encino home, which had to be the wildest government payout in history. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER , OR SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG SO YOU NEVER MISS NEWLY POSTED ARTICLES OR IMPORTANT ALERTS! Shortly following this, Kelly Johnson met Hall Hibbard. Today's Skunk Works employs 3,700 employees at facilities in Palmdale, California, Marietta, Georgia, and Fort Worth, Texas. His take on the F-35 program in particular, which the Skunk Works has had its hands in, would be amazing to hear. All Rights Reserved. Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich and Leo Janos. I don't have time to complain. Johnson ran the Skunk Works with what was known as Kellys 14 Rules. I can tell you personally that weve been working on them. Moreover, his total net worth is about $2.5 million US dollars as of 2022. Taking action to help you protect what matters most. In their wisdom, Lockheed officials said they had complete faith in Clarence Kelly Johnson. In 1940, the Society of American Engineers (now SAE) awarded Johnson theWright Brothers Medal. Strong but small project offices must be provided both by the military and industry. Kelly johnson, the founder of the lockheed skunk works, established fourteen basic operating principles to govern his talented personnel and top secret projects. The contractor must be delegated the authority to test their final product in flight. Will Rogers It is vitally important that we implement immigration reform. 2. There must be mutual trust between the military project organization and the contractor, and there must be very close cooperation and liaison on a day-to-day basis. Below stretched hundreds of miles of California coastline in the early morning light. Funding a program must be timely so that the contractor doesnt have to keep running to the bank to support government projects. 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. His statements helped to give credence to reports that the U.S. military has been flying vehicles that mimic alien craft. The late Ben Robert Rich was the second director of Lockheed Corp.'s top-secret research and development unit known as the "Skunk Works." Founder and . The oil and gas companies would not like a little device in anyones home that would provide ample energy thus eliminating the need for fossil fuels, electric grids, distribution systems and monthly income for them. 16 results for "kelly johnson skunk works" RESULTS. Upon introduction, the F-104 was used in large quantities, to supplement the North American F-100 in USAF service. No, it wont take someones lifetime to do it. Many of these people subsequently became executives at Lockheed Martin. Are these ET people hostile? 5 Best Aviation Games You Can Download Today! 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. Helen Fisher | Contact Us His work was instrumental in preventing a Soviet win during the Cold War. Designed to help the U.S. and allies leverage emerging technologies to create a resilient multi-domain network. Refresh and try again. This also enabled the Constellation to fly higher, and therefore faster than most contemporary aircraft. It is worth noting that Kelly's version of the phrase had no comma and was written "keep it . First, you have to understand that we will not get to the stars using chemical propulsion. We created a practical and open work environment for engineers and shop workers, forcing the guys behind the drawing boards onto the shop floor to see how their ideas were being translated into actual parts and to make any necessary changes on the spot. Robert Wringham, The main thing is to get what little happiness there is out of life in this wartorn world because 'these are the good old days' now. He was so powerful that simply by going along on his plans and schemes, the rest of us helped to produce miracles too. After WWII, the Germans were no longer the enemy, but the US was skeptical of the Soviets. He should report to a division president or higher. He should report to a division president or higher. Kelly Johnson had designed the fly higher than the U-2, at 85,000ft (26,000m). Planes like the F-117, SR-71 and U-2 were designed by humans, using something called a brain. Following his graduation from Flint Junior College, Johnson enrolled at the University of Michigan. I am a true believer. The venerable U-2 'Dragon Lady' is a spy plane born from Cold War necessity that soldiered on. In February 1937, the US Army Air Corps wanted a fighter-bomber that didnt require a fighter escort. By 1955, Johnson and his secret division of engineersdubbedSkunk Workslaunched the worlds first dedicated spy plane, theU-2, just nine months after receiving an official contract. That includes both domestic and international flights. The local postmaster got curious about all the crates and boxes piling up in his bins and looked up C & J in the phone book and, of course, found nothing. Second, we have to devise a new propulsion technology. I shall use my time. As such, they wanted an aircraft that could spy on them. Lisa Norato, I certainly wasn't happy. Strong but small project offices must be provided both by the military and industry. www.lockheedmartin.com. Johnson designed the F-104 to be both faster and simpler than the previous generation of jet fighters. Many of these sub-divisions are working on Lockheed Martins next generation fighters! We had the specks lab tested, and they turned out to be organic materialinsects that had been injected into the stratosphere and were circling in orbit around the earth with dust and debris at seventy-five thousand feet in the jet stream. He worked on almost all of Lockheeds projects in this time, either as an engineer, consultant or was the lead engineer. Why did Ben Rich die of cancer if they had a device that could cure it? That was the credo of Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson, the aeronautical innovator who founded Lockheed's superse-cret "Skunk Works" where he designed the world's fastest and highest-flying aircraftthe SR-71 Blackbird. Privacy Terms of Use EU and UK Data Protection Notice Cookies, Boyne, Walter J. This was all in an era before pressurization, meaning it was very chilly. Ben Rich Lockheed Skunk Works CEO had admitted in his Deathbed Confession that Extraterrestrial UFO visitors are real and the U.S. Military travel among stars. Today, these are commonplace on almost all airliners, including those designed by both Airbus and Boeing. By the end of it, Johnson and his team had designed the aircraft that would become the U-2. Ill teach you all you need to know about running a company in one afternoon, and well both go home early to boot. 12. In 1928, Johnson graduated from Flint Central High School. Error rating book. The Skunk Works manager must be delegated practically complete control of his program in all aspects. Dec. 22, 1990 12 AM PT. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. He declared his intention, then pushed through while his subordinates followed in his wake. The game changing F-117, which quickly gave the U.S. air superiority in the Gulf War, wouldn't have been possible without Ben Rich, the second director of Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works. More than my share of it all. "If you want us to keep pretending that you're sorting old books whenever we come by to chat, you shouldn't slam them on the table. 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. Jack London The future rewards those who press on. He did this in the hopes of earning a little money as well as a job after university. In 1964, Johnson was awarded 6 awards, and five in 1965. Will Rogers, It is vitally important that we implement immigration reform. Whilst at Lockheed, Johnson pioneered stealth technology, with some claiming he invented it. That was the credo of Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson, the aeronautical innovator who founded Lockheed's supersecret "Skunk Works" where he designed the world's fastest and highest-flying aircraftthe SR-71 Blackbird. 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. And the first time Dr. Scott paid us a visit and saw the three tanks of liquid hydrogen holding hundreds of gallons under storage, his knees began to shake. 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. The contractor must be delegated and must assume more than normal responsibility to get good vendor bids for subcontract on the project. Lockheed tasked Johnson with creating the perfect fighter-bomber that would decimate the German and Japanese forces. 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. Anything you can imagine, we already know how to do., 3 : We now have the technology to take ET home. In the east and above, the hint of a red sunrise and the bright twinkling lights from Venus, Mars, and Saturn. A lot of Lockheed Martins company slang has its origins with Johnson, or are about his impeccable skills. The F-104 was first introduced in 1958, and served until 2008, one of the longest of any aircraft! There are 2 types of UFOs the ones we build and ones they build. The Lockheed Electra, P-38 Lightning, Constellation, P-80 Shooting Star, F-104 Starfighter, C-130 Hercules, U-2 Dragon Lady, Jetstar, and of course the almost supernatural A-12 Oxcart and its SR-71 Blackbird successor are just a few of the nearly 50 designs Johnson worked on during his 50 year career with Lockheed. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The inspection system as currently used by the Skunk Works, which has been approved by both the Air Force and Navy, meets the intent of existing military requirements and should be used on new projects. He should report to a division president or higher. Kelly also had a unofficial 15th, 16th, and 17th rules, which he is known to have stated repeatedly to his subordinates: 16. We all know you wouldn't do that to a book that was truly ancient and fragile. I lit the afterburners and left that Mirage standing still. 17. There was no question that there were beings from outside the planet. The Black Budget Anti-Gravity Craft You Are Not Supposed to Know About! I was catching up on the KC-46 Pegasus program when I read this story and this story, among others. Now, go home and pour yourself a drink. CLARENCE LEONARD (KELLY) JOHNSON February 27, 1910-December 21, 1990 BY BEN R. RICH B E QUICK, be quiet, be on time. Following the success of the P-38, Lockheed tasked Kelly Johnson with working on a family of airliners that could replace the earlier Lockheed Model 18 Lodestars. Within 26 months, the Skunk Works had developed hundreds of revolutionary components and a 95-percent . Anne Bishop, All we do is work to maximise our consumption privileges and to be able to tell people at parties that we're a lawyer, an artist or a police officer. 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., Clarence Kelly Johnson was an authentic American genius. Outlets that have called him this include: International Aviation HQ, Aviation Week and Flying Magazine. The book Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich and Leo Janos (1996, Little Brown & Company) covers their historic achievements in great detail.