[.ca] Skunk Works (ISBN 0316743003)

superb:
If you want a great read on U2's Blackbirds and Stealth, then THIS is the book... Fascinating, well written, informative and a damned fine read.

Story of the Skunk Works told with style:
Ben Rich started off as a bright new engineer at Lockheed Martin. He never imagined that taking a job under the famously fearsome Kelly Johnson would lead to a career that took him to the top of the aerospace defense industry. He has an interesting story to tell and does so with style. We catch a glimpse into the inner-workings of the United States defense industry. It's a spellbinding tale about legendary airplanes interlaced with amusing anecdotes. Being an engineer in the defense industry myself, I heartily recommend this book to engineers and anybody else interested in technology.

Fascinating Material and Good (If Not Great) Writing:
For 16 years Ben Rich was the head of Skunk Works, Lockheed Corporation's secretive special projects division. In this engrossing work, he examines 40 years of aerospace innovations, including the U-2, F-117, and (my favorite) the SR-71 Blackbird. Although the book is all about incredible innovations, do not fear that this book will be overly technical; I never bogged down while reading it and found a lot of it humorous, in fact. (On the same point, it's only fair to note that if you ARE looking for a highly technical work, this is probably not the book you want.) I must admit that I grew up playing endlessly with toy jet-fighters, and thus for subject matter alone I would have to give three stars. Rather than telling the history of Skunk Works strictly chronologically, Rich breaks the book down into chapters that focus on specific projects. This approach avoids confusion that might arise from the overlapping development of multiple aircraft. It also allows the reader to go back and read about one particular plane without wading through unrelated information. Each chapter also contains "Other Voices," short sections written by others involved in the aerospace or defense industries. Many of these sections were written by pilots and provided some of the book's most exciting passages. I thought the "Other Voices" were a great addition that expanded the scope of Rich's work. I also appreciated that this book was not propaganda for the military-industrial complex (a rut I believe Tom Clancy has fallen in). Rich is justifiably proud of Skunk Works' successes, but he also admits their failures, notably: an attempt in the late '50s to create a plane fueled by liquid hydrogen, and also a stealth catamaran ship. He is also quick to point out the serious flaws with the military's business procedures and candidly asks, "Do the virtuous get their just rewards? The short answer is not if they're dealing with the Pentagon on a regular basis" (p. 302). The final chapter is devoted to discussing the future of aerospace research and ways the military-industrial complex can become more efficient. For example, he shows that the government could save huge amounts of money if Lockheed aircraft were serviced by trained, experienced Lockheed workers, instead of military personnel who are constantly shifted. Yes, it's a somewhat self-serving suggestion, but it also seems fiscally responsible! I thought I would find the final chapter dull, but as a tax-payer it was actually an eye-opener! My complaints are limited. The non-linear organization works fine when discussing airplanes, but it hampers the book's main "sub-plot": the ongoing relationship between Rich and Kelly Johnson, his predecessor as the head of Skunk Works. Rich paints a vivid picture of the curmudgeonly Johnson, but the development of their relationship is chopped up by the organization of the book. And although the book doesn't warrant an extensive bibliography, some references to other works would give the reader a chance to explore the topic more thoroughly. But neither of these points significantly detracted from my experience. This is an easy and enjoyable read for any arm-chair fighter jock.

Enthralling tale of achievement:
Ben Rich's insights into the most successful cutting-edge aircraft development projects of the last half-century is must reading for aviation buffs and for those in charge of developing new technology. A lot of valuable dos and don'ts can be found in these pages. I would have liked more technical details on some points, but that's a nitpick. As a defense consultant and an aerospace history writer, I found this a compelling read I couldn't put down.

Awesome aerospace/military history:
Skunk works is the true story behind the coolest, high tech, top secret, aerospace engineering division operated by the Lockheed Martin corporation. Forged by legendary U. Michigan alumnus Kelly Johnson, the Skunk Works has created the coolest planes of recent memory, including the SR-71 Blackbird (currently visible on the flight deck of the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier in NYC), the F117A Stealth Fighter, and the U2 spy plane. The F22 Raptor and the Joint Strike Fighter are also creations of the Skunk Works, but are not covered in this autobiography written by the successor to Kelly Johnson, Ben Rich. This quick read is well worth your while for a couple of reasons. First, the stories behind the creation of these planes is very interesting. For example, the Skunk Works engineers found the mathematical key to the stealth design buried within an obscure physics journal originally published in Russian. Oddly, the Russians military never capitalized on the principle, despite urgings from the article's Russian author. Furthermore, when the stealth plane was first designed and kept in a secret hanger infested with some bats, the bats couldn't detect the plane with their "sonar-like" sense, and they ended up crashing into it. The book also makes for excellent military and therefore world history. Accomplishments of the U2 spy plane and the F117-A Stealth Fighter are covered in depth and literally changed the course of world events during the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the Gulf War, and other skirmishes. Many interesting, behind the scenes (formerly classified?) missions are also revealed in this book. Ben Rich also speculates on the future types of planes currently on the minds of engineers at the Skunk Works, and the implications will change how wars are fought in the future. For readers who liked this book, NOVA recently published a video on the creation of the Joint Strike Fighter, a contract fought over between the Skunk Works and the Phantom Works of Boeing. These do all fighters are amazing, and this video is definately worth watching for those who enjoyed "Skunk Works."