Clarence L. 'Kelley' Johnson

From Skunk Works to the Edge of Space

By: Danie Alef

Narrated by: Baron Ron Herron

Kelly Johnson designed the Blackbird, a plane that flew non-stop from London to Los Angeles in less than four hours, outracing the sun and landing four hours before it had taken off, a remarkable feat - and this was more than 35 years ago. Johnson was the innovative genius behind Lockheed's "Skunk Works", and played a leading role in the development of more than forty aircraft, including some of America's most sophisticated planes such as the Constellation, Shooting Star, F-104, U-2, and the SR-71 Blackbird. In 2003, as part of its commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight, an Aviation Week & Space Technology poll ranked him eighth on its list of the "Top 100 Stars of Aerospace" in the first century of flight, just behind the Wright brothers, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Charles Lindbergh. The president of Lockheed once said: "That damned Swede can actually see air." Award-winning author Daniel Alef tells the remarkable tale of the man who garnered 35 major awards for his aviation feats, including the Medal of Freedom, and brought us to the edge of space.

©2014 Daniel Alef (P)2014 Daniel Alef

Too short

Otherwise enjoyable. But when it was finished I thought it was just the end of the introduction.

Great short story

Would you listen to Clarence L. 'Kelley' Johnson again? Why?

great infomation about Kelley

What was one of the most memorable moments of Clarence L. 'Kelley' Johnson?

What he did and how

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Making of GREAT air planes.

Any additional comments?

The story was to short

Hardly an audio book. More of an audio pamphlet.

This is probably not the Skunk Works book you wanted to read. It's a 20 minute summary of a person's entire life and career. The reader sounds like a newscaster or someone reading an announcement. Avoid.

Kelly Johnson'life in one chapter.

This is a quick recitation of Kelly's life in one chapter. It was read like a 1930's movie news report.

Bad

Not a book. 22 minutes of nothing not already known by an average enthusiast. I want my “credit “ back.