Why I Chose to Read Skunkworks

This last week I’ve been on vacation hiking in Yosemite. I brought Ben Rich’s Skunk Works with me as a way to entertain myself during the flight to California as well as during any downtime that might pop up on my trip. Skunkworks is an autobiographical account about one of America’s premier aerospace research and development labs, Skunkworks at Lockheed Martin. Ben Rich, the writer, started at skunkworks as an engineer and stayed there for the rest of his career working on planes from the U-2 to the SR-71. He ended up leading the skunkworks and both championed and oversaw development of America’s first stealth fighter, the F-117.

My copy of Skunk Works is almost 400 pages long and I was expecting it to keep me busy until part way through the flight home. It was a week long trip and I finished it on the third day. This wasn’t due to some unexpected downtime like being stuck in an airport or having a hike rained out in Yosemite. Aside from a forest fire, the weather in Yosemite was gorgeous, the book was just that good.

Note on Yosemite

As I’m writing this Yosemite was just shut down by the Ferguson Fire. I wish those firefighters the best of luck and to remain safe as they continue to fight the fire.

How my Views of the Book Changed Over Time

This wasn’t my first readthrough of Skunk Works, but the last time I had read it I was a freshman in my engineering degree and I wanted to see if it still holds up as well as I remembered. It did, although for different reasons. When I was a freshman I was awed at the SR-71 and the amazing feats it accomplished like flying above Mach 3. Today, I’m still awed, but now at the behind the scenes and development portions. Parts like how the funding for the U-2 was routed through a personal bank account to keep it secret, to having a massive fire next to hydrogen tanks on a commercial airport. These titans of aerospace now seem less like gods magically pulling advancements out of thin air and became something I could recognize from people I worked with. I look forward to reading this book again in the future when I’m well into my career to again see how my views on it change.

Overview of the Book

Skunkworks is not a linear telling of Ben Rich’s time at Skunk Works. Instead, it starts with the most important plane he designed, the F-117 stealth fighter. Well, it actually starts with the design of Have Blue, the prototype for the F-117. It continues on in chapter 2 and 3 with the story of building Have Blue and then turning it into the F-117. It isn’t a dry list of problems and their solutions but instead uses it to explain the Skunkworks style, character, and Kelly’s 14 rules (Reproduced in the next section). Chapter 4 concludes the story of the F-117 with several stories from pilots of the F-117 and different missions it was involved in. This multiple chapter grouping, which tells the story of a single plane from development to service is repeated by Rich two more times, for the U2 in chapters 6 -7 and for the SR-71/A-12 in chapters 9-11.

In between these case studies, Rich explores different topics and memories like in chapter 5 where he talks about how he got involved in Skunkworks, and how Skunkworks got its distinct name. This isn’t a book just strutting around skunkworks successes without touching on its failures. Chapter 8 talks about the development of cryogenic airplanes which they realize aren’t feasible and return the development money to the Government. Another failure/semi-success is detailed in chapter 12 where they talk about building a blackbird-esque drone to overfly China. The drone itself was built and flown over China, but during every mission, something happened causing it to be an operational failure. Chapter 13 is where Kell’s unspoken 15th rule is trotted out; Don’t work for the Navy. In this chapter, the stealth technology talked about in chapters 1-4 is applied to building a ship called the sea shadow. This soon spirals out of Skunk Works control and nothing ever comes of it aside from a prototype.

Note: The ship in the James Bond film, Tomorow Never Dies, is based off this prototype.

Chapter 14 is a nice eulogy for Rich’s old boss and Skunk Works founder Kelly Johnston. Chapter 15 talks about the B-2 Bomber, Ben’s thoughts on it, and some behind the scenes look at the politics behind it. After that Ben takes a chapter to talk about lessons that he learned over his time at Skunk Works and also provide some predictions/advice about the future. The book closes with an epilogue written by 3 Secretaries of Defense who knew of both Ben’s and Skunk Work’s contributions to the national defense.

Kelly’s 14 Rules

Note: I’m taking the rules from “Kelly: More than my share of it all” instead of the ones in Skunk Works. The ideas behind each rule are the same but the wording is different and I figured Kelly Johnson’s biography would be a better representation of the rules.

The Skunk Works manager must be delegated practically complete control of his program in all aspects. He should report to a division president or higher. Strong but small project offices must be provided both by the military and industry. The number of people having any connection with the project must be restricted in an almost vicious manner. Use a small number of good people (10% to 25% compared to the so-called normal systems). A very simple drawing and drawing release system with great flexibility for making changes must be provided. There must be a minimum number of reports required, but important work must be recorded thoroughly. There must be a monthly cost review covering not only what has been spent and committed but also projected costs to the conclusion of the program. Don’t have the books 90 days late, and don’t surprise the customer with sudden overruns. The contractor must be delegated and must assume more than normal responsibility to get good vendor bids for subcontract on the project. Commercial bid procedures are very often better than military ones. The inspection system as currently used by the Skunk Works, which has been approved by both the Air Force and Navy, meets the intent of existing military requirements and should be used on new projects. Push more basic inspection responsibility back to subcontractors and vendors. Don’t duplicate so much inspection. The contractor must be delegated the authority to test his final product in flight. He can and must test it in the initial stages. If he doesn’t, he rapidly loses his competency to design other vehicles. The specifications applying to the hardware must be agreed to well in advance of contracting. The Skunk Works practice of having a specification section stating clearly which important military specification items will not knowingly be complied with and reasons, therefore, is highly recommended. Funding a program must be timely so that the contractor doesn’t have to keep running to the bank to support government projects. There must be mutual trust between the military project organization and the contractor with very close cooperation and liaison on a day-to-day basis. This cuts down misunderstanding and correspondence to an absolute minimum. Access by outsiders to the project and its personnel must be strictly controlled by appropriate security measures. Because only a few people will be used in engineering and most other areas, ways must be provided to reward good performance by pay not based on the number of personnel supervised.

There’s also an unspoken 15th rule that Rich’s book includes that Kelly’s doesn’t and that is

15. Never work with the Navy

My Conclusion

This is a great read. If you’re an aviation buff you’ll love it for its insightful look into the place that built the cutting edge of aviation for the last half-century. If you’re a history buff you’ll learn about the planes that have shaped world affairs like the U2 which confirmed there was no bomber gap between the USSR and the US as well as being the plane Gary Powers was shot down in or the SR-71 which provided the visual intelligence that started the Cuba missile crisis. Finally, if you’re a layperson with little to no interest in aviation you’ll enjoy the wild stories of how the CIA funded the development of the U2 by laundering money through Kelly, the chief engineer, himself. I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Ben Rich’s Skunk Works!

Note: It’s also available in audiobook form here.

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