Kelly Johnson

Extracted Attributes

• Awards

  Presidential Medal of Freedom (1964), multiple Collier Trophies

• Nickname

  Kelly

• Education

  B.S. (1932) and M.S. (1933) in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan

• Full Name

  Clarence Leonard Johnson

• Birth Place

  Ishpeming, Michigan, United States

• Death Place

  Burbank, California, United States

• Primary Employer

  Lockheed Corporation

• Management Philosophy

  KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and the 14 Rules and Practices

• Notable Aircraft Designs

  SR-71 Blackbird, U-2, P-38 Lightning, F-104 Starfighter, P-80 Shooting Star

• Speed Record Achievement

  Designed the first production aircraft (SR-71) to exceed Mach 3 (approx. 2,300 mph)

Timeline

• Born in Ishpeming, Michigan. (Source: Britannica)

  1910-02-27

• Joined Lockheed Corporation after completing his Master's degree at the University of Michigan. (Source: Britannica)

  1933-01-01

• Began development of the XP-80 Shooting Star, completing the project in 143 days and establishing the Skunk Works unit. (Source: Lockheed Martin)

  1943-06-01

• Led the design and development of the high-altitude U-2 reconnaissance aircraft and the F-104 Starfighter. (Source: Britannica)

  1954-01-01

• Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (Source: Britannica)

  1964-01-01

• First flight of the SR-71 Blackbird, the world's fastest and highest-flying production aircraft. (Source: Lockheed Martin)

  1964-12-22

• Retired from Lockheed as Senior Vice President, remaining a director until 1980. (Source: Britannica)

  1975-01-01

• Died at the age of 80 in Burbank, California. (Source: Britannica)

  1990-12-21

Kelly Johnson (engineer)

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."

Web Search Results

• Kelly Johnson (engineer) - Wikipedia

  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.: 59 [...] Kelly Johnson was born in the remote mining town of Ishpeming, Michigan. His parents were Swedish, from the city of Malmö, county of Scania. His father ran a construction company. Johnson was 13 years old when he won a prize for his first aircraft design. He attended Flint Central High School and graduated in 1928, then went to Flint Junior College, now known as Mott Community College, and finally to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he received a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering. [...] Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia ## Contents # Kelly Johnson (engineer) | Kelly Johnson | | --- | | Johnson, c. 1975 | | | Born | Clarence Leonard Johnson (1910-02-27)February 27, 1910 Ishpeming, Michigan, U.S. | | Died | December 21, 1990(1990-12-21) (aged 80) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | | Education | Flint Junior College University of Michigan (BS, MS) | | Engineering career | | | Discipline | Aeronautical engineering, systems engineering | | Employer | Lockheed Corporation | | Projects | P-38 Lightning Skunk Works U-2 F-104 Starfighter SR-71 Blackbird | | | |

• Kelly Johnson | NASA, Lockheed, Skunk Works | Britannica

  External Websites National Aviation Hall of Fame - Biography of Clarence Leonard Johnson # Kelly Johnson American aeronautical engineer Also known as: Clarence Leonard Johnson Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated •History Kelly Johnson (born Feb. 27, 1910, Ishpeming, Mich., U.S.—died Dec. 21, 1990, Burbank, Calif.) was a highly innovative American aeronautical engineer and designer. A Lockheed P-38 Lightning [...] Johnson received his B.S. (1932) and M.S. (1933) degrees from the University of Michigan before beginning his career with the Lockheed Corporation in 1933. As head of the “Skunk Works,” Lockheed’s secret development unit, he helped design more than 40 airplanes. Among them were the P-38 Lightning (see photograph ); in 1943 the P-80 (later F-80) Shooting Star, the first American jet fighter to go into production; the Constellation (designated C-69 in its military transport role) and the later Superconstellation (1950); the F-104 Starfighter (1954), which traveled at twice the speed of sound; the high-altitude U-2 (1954), the first plane to sustain flight above 60,000 feet (18,000 m); and the YF-12 and SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest and highest-flying planes in the world, with speeds [...] Quick Facts Byname of: : Clarence Leonard Johnson Born: : Feb. 27, 1910, Ishpeming, Mich., U.S. Died: : Dec. 21, 1990, Burbank, Calif. (aged 80) Awards And Honors: : Presidential Medal of Freedom (1964) See all related content Among Johnson’s many honours and awards was the Medal of Freedom (1964). After retiring from Lockheed in 1975 as senior vice president, Johnson remained a director until 1980 and was senior adviser until his death. This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

• Kelly Johnson: Architect of Air | Lockheed Martin

  The young engineer’s name was Clarence Johnson, but ever since he’d trounced a local bully in grade school, he went by the more defiant nickname: “Kelly,” which suited his fierce and pugnacious personality. Shortly after being hired by Lockheed six years earlier, Johnson had walked into his new boss’s office, pointed to the company’s promising new aircraft, the Electra, revealed a critical instability and then proceeded to correct the errors to the company’s amazement. 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. [...] Imperious, passionate, and demanding, Johnson was just as likely to deliver a kick to someone’s pants as a compliment to his face. In the pursuit of breakthrough designs, he tolerated errors—with the caveat that they were made just once. He asked only for hard work, good communication, and unwavering honesty. Despite his volatile approach, Johnson earned unparalleled loyalty from his highly skilled team. Kelly Johnson with a U-2 His favorite maxim? KISS—Keep It Simple, Stupid. And thus, revolutionary aircraft after revolutionary aircraft—including perhaps Johnson’s greatest achievement, the SR-71 Blackbird, still the world’s fastest aircraft fifty years after its first flight—rolled off the Lockheed line under Johnson’s watch. [...] Although amazed by the new design’s precision, Air Ministry officials asked if they could entrust the future of their air force to someone so young. In their wisdom, Lockheed officials said they had complete faith in Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. In time, it proved to be one of the most important decisions in the company’s history. Kelly Johnson and Amelia Earhart ## Making Aviation History, Again and Again To this day, Kelly Johnson’s resume of accomplishments reads like a list of the most iconic airplanes in aviation history.

• Managing Lockheed’s Skunk Works – Good Science Project

  This piece covers how Kelly Johnson managed Lockheed’s famous Skunk Works. In its early decades, Skunk Works continuously produced novel aircraft that pushed the aviation industry forward. Its three most iconic aircraft were the U-2 “spy plane,” the Sr-71 Blackbird — still considered a cutting-edge aircraft 60 years after it was built — and the partially DARPA-funded F-117 Nighthawk — the first stealth bomber. Johnson believed the simple management playbook he used to operate his Skunk Works was “common sense.” Still, Johnson’s ruthless commitment to maintaining small teams and fiercely anti-bureaucratic processes proved difficult for competitors to replicate. The success of Johnson’s methods and the failures of competitors to replicate them carries key lessons for R&D organizations and [...] The Gross brothers and Hall Hibbard were gone. Kelly Johnson had been a living legend who routinely turned down Lockheed’s CEO position. His freedom and insistence on the same for his Skunk Works was tolerated by subsequent generations of executives throughout his career. But by the end of his career, many in DC and Burbank had little patience for him. They would not be so lenient with his successor. Ben Rich’s Skunk Works — despite proving itself with its inspired F-117 project design — was being watched. He recounted: [...] Times have surely changed in defense procurement. But the reader’s takeaway should not be that Skunk Works’s management playbook was great, but no longer feasible. It is true that many pools of government capital that used to be risk-tolerant and trusting of individual visions are the opposite nowadays. However, there still exist fantastic funders with a deep belief in bright people with ambitious visions. And many of these funders require only common-sense oversight. With capital from phenomenal funders like these, the Skunk Works management playbook can still prove exceptionally effective. Kelly Johnson’s rules regarding limiting bureaucracy, keeping his team ruthlessly small, and doing whatever possible to allow individual genius to flourish helped create a historically great lab.

• The Skunk Works® Legacy | Lockheed Martin

  One month later, a young engineer named Clarence "Kelly" L. Johnson and his hand-picked team of engineers and mechanics delivered the XP-80 Shooting Star jet fighter proposal to the ATSC. Shortly after, the go-ahead was given for Lockheed to start developing the United States' first jet fighter. This project marked the birth of what would become the Skunk Works®, with founder Kelly Johnson at its helm. The formal contract for the XP-80 didn’t arrive at Lockheed until Oct. 16, 1943, four months after work had already begun. This would prove to be a common practice within the Skunk Works. A customer would go to the Skunk Works with a request, and on a handshake the project would begin – no contracts in place, no official submittal process. [...] Kelly Johnson and his team designed and built the XP-80 in only 143 days, seven less than was required. It was Kelly’s unconventional organizational approach that allowed the Skunk Works to streamline work and operate with unparalleled efficiency. He challenged the bureaucratic system that stifled innovation and hindered progress. His philosophy is spelled out in his 14 Rules and Practices. P-80-Signed-Poster.jpg [...] # The Skunk Works® Legacy: Developing the US's First Fighter Jet Lockheed Martin Logo Lockheed Martin Logo close icon close icon Global Activity image close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon Accelerating Transformation Image close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon close icon The Skunk Works® Legacy #### The Skunk Works® Legacy What sets the Skunk Works apart is its unique approach created by founder Kelly Johnson. Kelly’s “14 Rules and Practices" are still in use today as evidenced by our small, empowered teams, streamlined processes and culture that values attempting to do things that haven’t been done before.

• Image

  

• Gender

  female

• Educated At

  Edmonton County School

• Instance Of

  Q5

• Occupation

  singer

• Citizenship

  United Kingdom

• Date Of Birth

  6/20/1958

• Date Of Death

  7/15/2007

• Place Of Birth

  London

• Place Of Death

  London