Today in Technology History

Today in Technology History

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February 27

We return to the subject of aviation today to discuss the man who created some of the most important military airplanes ever built.

Clarence Leonard Johnson was born on February 27, 1910. Better known as "Kelly" Johnson, he was engineer, designer and project manager for more than forty aircraft.

Johnson started working for the Lockheed Corporation in the 1930s as an engineer. He was soon made the first head of Lockheed's advanced research and development team -- the "Skunk Works" -- a position he held until 1975.

In his years with Lockheed, Johnson designed (sometimes almost single-handedly) bombers and fighters, cargo planes and spy planes. Among the most important aircraft he designed and built were these two notables:

The U-2 spy plane. In the 1950s, the CIA wanted to spy on Soviet territory, so Johnson designed the U-2 to fly at altitudes above 60,000 feet. It was flown over the Soviet Union from 1956 until 1960, and it is still used today. (Incidentally, it was while working on the U-2 that Johnson helped establish the Air Force testing installation known to UFO enthusiasts as "Area 51.")

The SR-71. First flown in 1964, the sleek SR-71 is still the fastest plane ever built, and one of the highest-flying. In 1976, an SR-71 reached a speed of 2,193 miles per hour (Mach 3.31). Although the SR-71 was officially retired in 1990 to cut costs, a few of the planes were reactivated in the late 1990s for use by the Air Force and NASA.

Designing either of those planes would bring any engineer acclaim. The fact that Johnson designed both -- and dozens of others -- has made him a modern legend of aviation.

Kelly Johnson died in 1990.

Related links:

Click here to learn much more about Kelly Johnson, and to see plenty of pictures.

This is the homepage for NASA's operations involving the SR-71.

This fan site is dedicated to the Skunk Works.

Click here to read about where the name "Skunk Works" came from.

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	The U-2 spy plane. In the 1950s, the CIA wanted to spy on Soviet territory, so Johnson designed the U-2 to fly at altitudes above 60,000 feet. It was flown over the Soviet Union from 1956 until 1960, and it is still used today. (Incidentally, it was while working on the U-2 that Johnson helped establish the Air Force testing installation known to UFO enthusiasts as "Area 51.")
	The SR-71. First flown in 1964, the sleek SR-71 is still the fastest plane ever built, and one of the highest-flying. In 1976, an SR-71 reached a speed of 2,193 miles per hour (Mach 3.31). Although the SR-71 was officially retired in 1990 to cut costs, a few of the planes were reactivated in the late 1990s for use by the Air Force and NASA.