A top-flight aerospace engineer's engrossing reminiscences of an
eventful career in the service of the CIA and US military at the
height of the Cold War. With a graceful assist from Janos
(co-author of Chuck Yeager's best-selling 1985 autobiography, not
reviewed), Rich offers an episodic (probably vetted) account of his
nearly 40 years with Lockheed's Advanced Development Projects, an
ultrasecret operation better known as the Skunk Works (a name
borrowed from the Dogpatch still in A1 Capp's "L'il Abner" comic
strip). During his apprenticeship, the author (who headed ADP from
1975 until his retirement at 65 in 1990) helped design, build,
test, and launch the U-2 and the SR-71 Blackbird, America's
enviably successful spy planes. On his watch, the Skunk Works
produced the first jet fighter-bomber to employ stealth technology,
the oddly configured F-117A, which earned its wings in the
unfriendly skies above the Persian Gulf. In addition to Rich's own
recital, the text includes commentary from colleagues, intelligence
agents, Pentagon brass, test pilots, and others, which puts the
narrator's knack for advancing the state of the aerospace art into
clearer perspective. While he accentuates the positive, the author
does not shy from recalling certain of his unit's turkeys,
including a remote-controlled reconnaissance drone that seldom
returned from missions over enemy territory; an aircraft fueled by
liquid hydrogen (whose explosive power could have blown its users
to bits); and a stealth picket ship (eventually sunk by the Navy's
missile frigate lobby). Nor does Rich fail to settle old scores
with, among others, pols more concerned with their next election
than national security. Not one to hold a grudge, however, he
closes with some uncommonly sensible suggestions on how US
taxpayers could get more bang for their procurement buck in the
parlous times ahead. An insider's accessible, informative take on
what's needed to get futuristic hardware to contemporary flight
lines and launching pads. (Kirkus Reviews)
SKUNK WORKS is the true story, told for the first time, of
America's most secret and successful aerospace operation. As
recounted by Ben Rich, the operation's brilliant boss for nearly
two decades, the story of Lockheed's legendary Skunk Works is a
high-stakes drama of Cold War confrontations and Gulf War air
combat, of extraordinary feats of engineering and human achievement
against fantastic odds. SKUNK WORKS is dramatic and immediate.
Direct from the cockpits of these astonishing aircraft - U-2
spy-plane, SR-71 Blackbird and F-117 Stealth Fighter. It is a
tribute to genius in the unrelenting contest for mastery of the
skies.
General
Imprint: |
Sphere
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
August 1995 |
Authors: |
Leo Janos
• Ben R. Rich
|
Dimensions: |
180 x 110 x 27mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Mass Market
|
Pages: |
404 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-7515-1503-9 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-7515-1503-5 |
Barcode: |
9780751515039 |
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My review
Mon, 14 Dec 2020 | Review
by: Jaco-Louis K.
This is a must read for any aviation enthusiast!
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