The Genius Behind Skunk Works: Kelly Johnson's Top Secret Airplane Designs That Will Blow Your Mind

An historical documentary about Kelly Johnson and Skunk Works, a division of Lockheed and the makers of many American iconic aircraft, such as the SR-71 Blackbird, U-2 Dragonlady, F-104 Starfighter.

Clarence Leonard "Kelly" Johnson (February 27, 1910 – December 21, 1990) was an American aeronautical and systems engineer. He is recognized for his contributions to a series of important aircraft designs, most notably the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird. Besides the first production aircraft to exceed Mach 3, he also produced the first fighter capable of Mach 2, the United States' first operational jet fighter, as well as the first fighter to exceed 400 mph, and many other contributions to various aircraft.

As a member and first team leader of the Lockheed Skunk Works, Johnson worked for more than four decades and is said to have been an "organizing genius". He played a leading role in the design of over forty aircraft, including several honored with the prestigious Collier Trophy, acquiring a reputation as one of the most talented and prolific aircraft design engineers in the history of aviation.

In 2003, as part of its commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight, Aviation Week & Space Technology ranked Johnson eighth on its list of the top 100 "most important, most interesting, and most influential people" in the first century of aerospace. Hall Hibbard, Johnson's Lockheed boss, referring to Johnson's Swedish ancestry, once remarked to Ben Rich: "That damned Swede can actually see air."

At the University of Michigan, Johnson conducted wind tunnel tests of Lockheed's proposed Model 10 airliner. He found the aircraft did not have adequate directional stability, but his professor felt it did and told Lockheed so. Upon completing his master's degree in 1933, Johnson joined Lockheed as a tool designer on a salary of $83 a month. Shortly after starting, Johnson convinced Hall Hibbard, the chief engineer, the Model 10 was unstable.

Hibbard sent Johnson back to Michigan to conduct more tests. Johnson eventually made multiple changes to the wind tunnel model, including adding an "H" tail, to address the problem. Lockheed accepted Johnson's suggestions and the Model 10 went on to be a success. This brought Johnson to the attention of company management, and he was promoted to aeronautical engineer.

After assignments as flight test engineer, stress analyst, aerodynamicist, and weight engineer, he became chief research engineer in 1938. In 1952, he was appointed chief engineer of Lockheed's Burbank, California plant, which later became the Lockheed-California Company. In 1956 he became Vice President of Research and Development there.

A design of the Lockheed A-3 (Mach 3 ramjet), sketch from Johnson's notebook
Johnson became Vice President of Advanced Development Projects (ADP) in 1958. The first ADP offices were nearly uninhabitable; a smelly former bourbon distillery was the first ADP location, the site where his secretive team built the first P-38 Lightning prototype. Moving from the distillery to a larger building, the stench from a nearby plastic factory was so vile that Irv Culver, one of the engineers, began answering the intra-Lockheed "house" phone "Skonk Works!"

Skunk Works is an official pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP), formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects. It is responsible for a number of aircraft designs, beginning with the P-38 Lightning in 1939 and the P-80 Shooting Star in 1943. Skunk Works engineers subsequently developed the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, F-117 Nighthawk, F-22 Raptor, and F-35 Lightning II, the latter being used in the air forces of several countries.

The Skunk Works name was taken from the moonshine factory in the comic strip Li'l Abner. The designation "skunk works" or "skunkworks" is widely used in business, engineering, and technical fields to describe a group within an organization given a high degree of autonomy and unhampered by bureaucracy, with the task of working on advanced or secret projects.
Aircraft:
A modern Skunk Works project leverages an older one: LASRE atop the SR-71 Blackbird.
Lockheed P-38 Lightning (unofficial)
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star
Lockheed XF-90
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
Lockheed U-2
Lockheed X-26 Frigate
Lockheed YO-3
Lockheed A-12
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
Lockheed D-21
Lockheed XST (Have Blue)
Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk
Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
Lockheed Martin X-35 and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
Lockheed X-27
Lockheed Martin Polecat
Quiet Supersonic Transport
Lockheed Martin Cormorant
Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk
Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel
Lockheed Martin X-55
Lockheed Martin SR-72
Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST

#KellyJohnson #skunkworks #sr71

[kdfox]

"The most remarkable thing about Kelly Johnson was the way he did it.". True words. Amazing legacy. Very well-done documentary.

[donalddepew]

My father had worked very hard to achieve the position of senior design specialist at the Lockheed Skunk Works. Working with the many developmental pioneers as well as Ben Rich, and Kelley Johnson, was a great honor to say the least. He would tell me that they achieved the impossible each and every day, and that there was no such word as "can't". This is a fantastic documentary to say the least.

[literallyshaking]

An absolute legend, and a true American original.

A trailblazing pioneer from an era when the USA didn’t know the meaning of the word “impossible”

[mskellyrlv]

A beautiful tribute to one of aviation's greatest innovators. Fine job.

[jocksavage]

Mr Johnson, one of the most respected people in aviation and truly a father figure in my career... Thank you.

[thomasharroun]

In 2003, as part of its celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first flight of the Wright Brothers, Aviation Week & Space Technology ranked KellyJohnson eighth on its list of the top 100 most influential people in the 20th century of aerospace engineering. He should have been ranked number one. .

[SoloSailing]

I watched an interview with Kelly's handpicked test pilot, Tony Lavere, in which he shared the fact that he was given the task of finding a place to start U-2 and A-12/ SR71 program. Tony is the pilot who picked Area 51 on the Atomic Energy range. Before he died, he asked to be able to go see what Area 51 had become. They refused him entry. You could tell in the interview that kinda broke his heart. That always made me mad, to disrespect one of the men responsible for that "base" to begin with.

[Yarrb]

While on duty at a radar site in Southern Okinawa, I tracked an incoming SR-71, returning to Kadena, AFB, from an over flight of Vietnam, about mid 1972. It popped up from an unexpected vector, 090, and was moving at a breath taking speed, compared to other aircraft. Each sweep of the radar brought it closer, an the I.D. tech had nothing on his flight board. I thought, it might be a missile, then I saw it turn. Some of us went out the back door, and watched it descend looking like a metorite. It headed North towards Kadena to land. When on the ground, Kadena called us to let us know and SR-71 had landed. I went back to my scope, and calculated my grease pencil marks on the scope, with the sweep rotation. I calculated over Mach 3. I reported it to my Captain, who reminded me, that they only go Mach 2 ! And a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. Light dawned on Marblehead, and I said " Yes sir, I must have made a mistake ! He nodded, I saluted, and went back to scope duty to finish up my over night shift.

[sacrificialrubber]

Kelly Johnson was A Fucking Legend!! And this documentary did him real justice!!!👍🏻
GREAT JOB!!

[johnedwards]

There was a time when America absolutely refused to believe in limits, that stuff wasn’t possible, that it couldn’t be done. Mr Johnson and his team somehow made a plane from the distant future fly in the sixties. If that SR71 had been debuted in 2022 instead of 1966 it would still be an astounding marvel of technology, futuristic and just as staggering.

[hotliner]

I love that they nailed his genius. He did not personally design any of these aircraft, tho he was capable and understood the targets well (a task in itself, if you want to agree to make it work). His genius was putting together and managing the teams that made it happen. I am an engineer by trade and work at a competitive company, and let's just say 'herding cats' does not begin to describe what it takes to bring a bunch of Type-A's together and have it work. And he clearly had type A+++'s based on the outcome. I have worked with one leader like this (initials C.V.), and it is remarkable what one person can do with the right vision and the right team. This is a much more valuable skill than any single engineer or designer can provide.

[daveroche]

So refreshing to see a competent senior manager who actually knows what's going on and ISN'T focused on Kelly and Sully - 'nuff said. Thank you for the upload - really interesting.

[colvinator]

A trully gifted man, leading a trully gifted team, serving a great Nation.

[jacksondouglas]

SR-71 is the most beautiful aircraft of the history !

[JIMJAMSC]

One of the best sources of information and footage of Kelly Johnson out there. Thanks!!!

[baconfister]

The man was a genius. He was lucky enough to have a team people listen to him.

[wwtom]

I highly recommend the book "Skunk Works" by Ben Rich who worked for Kelly and was groomed by him and eventually took over after Kelly' retired. Great narrative from the building of the U-2, the SR-71 and eventually the F-117 Nighthawk.

[franklinnorth]

Grew up in La, near the Northrop and North American plants, learned to fly at the Hawthorne Northrop field, first Solo August 1972. Used to hear the sonic booms in the '60s from aircraft returning to Muroc. Saw the SR 71 take off at the Abbotsford air show, Abbotsford Canada in 1986, that show also featured the Concorde, for a thousand bucks you could go supersonic over the Pacific, and return to Abbotsford, that show was also the first to feature the MIG 29 in a western Airshow. F 16 and Mig 29, like watching a Mike Tyson fight. Always admired Kelly Johnson and his creations. Loved the P 38 and the Connie, and the Superconnie, there used to be a Superconnie parked at the Burbank Airport in the '80s. Great show.

[starguy]

"Be quick, be quiet, be on time."
-- Kelly's motto for Skunk Works

[tumbullweed]

Old school stand up fellow shame we don’t have enough of his type with us today