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CLARENCE
CLARENCE L KELLY 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-XO, 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 manage-
ment 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 Michi-
gan, 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-
L. "KELLY" JOHNSON
1910-1990
BY DANIEL M.TELLEP
93
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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES
cist, weight engineer, and wind tunnel engineer before becom-
ing 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 en-
gineer 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.
This prolific genius has been widely recognized. He was the
first two-time recipient of both the Robert J. Collier Trophy,
presented by the National Aeronautic Association of the U.S.A.,
and the Theodore van Karman Award of the Air Force Associa-
tion. Kelly also received two Sylvanus Albert Reed Aeronautics
Awards, given by the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics; the NationalAeronauticAssociation'sWrightBroth-
ers Memorial Trophy; and, in 1971, the Founders Medal of the
National Academy of Engineering- all among the most presti-
. · . . . . .
glows aware s in engineering anct aviation.
He was elected to the Aviation Hall of Fame in 1974, the
Michigan Hall of Fame in 198S, and the National Management
Association Hall of Fame in 1991. He received four presidential
citations, including the Mecial of Freedom the highest civil
honor the president can bestow.
Kelly was an honorary fellow of the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics and a fellow of the Royal Aeronau-
tical Society. In addition to the National Academy of Engineer-
ing, he was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the
Society of Automotive Engineers, and the Tau Beta Pi and Sigma
Xi engineering fraternities. He received honorary doctorates
from the University of Michigan, the University of Southern
California, and the University of California at Los Angeles.
He authored or coauthored numerous articles and technical
papers on aircraft design and production. His autobiography,
Kelly: More Than My Share of ItAII, written with Maggie Smith, was
publisher! in 1985.
Under Kelly's leadership, Lockheed's Skunk Works built
America's first operational jet fighter, the P-80 Shooting Star.
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CLARENCE L. "KELLY"JOHNSON
95
Lockheed's F-104 Starfighter was the first operationaljet to fly at
twice the speed of sound. Its U-2 first flew more than thirty years
ago but is still the highest-flying single-engine aircraft in the
world. The incomparable Mach-3 SR-71 Blackbird hoIcis world
records for speed and altitude that have yet to be eclipsed a
quarter-century after it was built.
Those aircraft were all produced under budget and on time,
using an absolute minimum number of people working in an
atmosphere of exceptional innovation. Under Kelly's direction
and management, the name Skunk Works became synonymous
with a unique management style that encourages creativity,
responsibility, accountability, and trust. He devised and en-
forced fourteen basic management rules that have been widely
cited in publications such as A PassionforExcellence. Kelly supple-
mented his formal operating principles with memorable axioms
such as "if you can't do it with brainpower, you can't do it with
manpower or overtime" and "be quick, be quiet, be on time."
The Skunk Works, under Kelly's leadership, was known for
continuously advancing the state of the art in engineering and
aviation. Typical of the group's achievements was its pioneering
use of titanium in aircraft skins and structures, an effort recog-
nized by the American Society of Metals in 1970 with its first
annual Engineering Materials Achievement Award.
In summation, perhaps President Lyndon B. Johnson put it
best as he was awarding Kelly his second Collier Trophy for the
Blackbird series of aircraft: "Kelly Johnson and the products of
his famous Skunk Works epitomize the highest and finest goal of
our society, the goal of excellence. His record of design achieve-
ment in aviation is both incomparable and virtually incredible.
Any one of his many airplane designs would have honored any
individual's career."
Representative terms from entire chapter:
management style
