Discover the Best Books Written by Clarence L. Johnson
Clarence L. Johnson, acknowledged throughout most of the world to have been the best aircraft designer in the history of aviation, died on December 21, 1990, at the age of eighty.
Elected to the National Academy of Engineering in April 1965, Kelly contributed to the design of more than forty Lockheed aircraft—including the P-80, which was the United States' first operational jet fighter, and the world's fastest, highest-flying aircraft, the renowned SR-71 Blackbird. He also was acclaimed for his unique leadership qualities and his distinctive management style and philosophy.
Kelly Johnson was born in Ishpeming, Michigan, on February 27, 1910. He later moved to Flint, graduated from Flint Junior College, and completed his education at the University of Michigan, where he received his bachelor of science degree in 1932 and his master of science degree in aeronautical engineering in 1933.
The seventh of nine children, Kelly said in later years that he learned respect for hard work and for education from his Swedish immigrant parents. From his father, a bricklayer and carpenter, he acquired a love of tools and the knowledge of how to use them. By the age of twelve he knew he wanted to build airplanes.
After joining Lockheed as a tool designer in 1933, Kelly had assignments as flight test engineer, stress analyst, aerodynami cist, weight engineer, and wind tunnel engineer before becoming chief research engineer in 1938. He founded Lockheed's Advanced Development Projects organization—more widely known as the "Skunk Works"—in 1943. Subsequently, while retaining leadership of the Skunk Works, Kelly became chief engineer in 1953 and was appointed corporate vice-president for research and development in 1956. He retired in 1975 as a senior vice-president of Lockheed Corporation, but remained a senior adviser until his death.