Локхийд е компания-легенда в самолетостроенето, виновна за голяма част от революционните технологии и модели самолети през втората половина на 20 в. Нейното секретно звено пък създава разпознаваемите в цял свят неуловими/непроследими/невидими SR-71, F117 и други не толкова известни но на въоръжение в продължение на десетки години разузнавателни и бойни военни самолети на САЩ.

Настоящата книга е нещо като професионална автобиография на един от директорите на секретното звено, лично отговорен за създаването на F117 (първия невидим за радарите самолет, тоя с ръбатата диамантена форма), която включва подробности около разработката, създаването, производството и работата още на Кобрата, U-2 и още няколко машини по време на Студената война, когато най-важната и практически единствена директива е "да надхитрим руснаците". ( )

This book has been on my TBR for a little over a year and I happened upon it in a little free library on my street. A first edition complete with dust jacket and clippings of obits for Louis W. Schalk (handwritten: WP [Washington Post] 8/21/02; Schalk was a test pilot, the first to fly the Blackbird. He died in Northern Virginia.) and Ben Rich, author of this book and former head of Lockheed’s Skunk Works.

The book is pretty good, if you’re interested in the U-2, SR-71, Stealth Fighter, or management of an operation like Skunk Works. The voice in which it is written is casual and approachable. Rich (and his co-author, Leo Janos) puts dialogue to historical conversations that are sometimes as many as 40 years in the past. Sometimes this dialogue is a little suspect to my ear, but I don’t think it’s meant to be taken as if it were printed in the New York Times. It’s typically expository and that’s fine. There is plenty in the writing that clearly encapsulates sort of 60’s-80’s business ‘sense’ that I had to skim over, because it is not very interesting or compelling.

The trials and tribulations of the various major projects that Rich describes, however, are. They’re especially interesting when Rich & Janos talk about the engineering problems present, and they’re talked about in understandable ways.

There are little sections of the book with commentaries from other folks - typically industry, government, and military veterans. Think generals and such. Some of these are patently political and flat out disinteresting. Some of the worst offenders may as well be writing press releases straight to the WSJ in 1994. Fine. Some of them (typically by engineers or pilots) are super interesting, and put is in the drafting room or cockpit.

This is probably the most Dad-energy book I’ve ever read. I could see a 50 year old Dad eating this thing right up in the airport lounge. I liked it, but would also be interested in a much more technical and detailed discussion of the projects (especially the SR-71) from a Richard Rhodes type. ( )

Damn interesting for the engineering behind the scenes even if the military industrial context is repugnant.

Also, the shear lunacy of the CIA never disappoints. ( )

The writing and narrative style are a bit disjointed, but the subject matter is gripping. Top notch. ( )

I was lent this book by a work colleague and by the time I got it, it had been read by quite a few people. Everyone said it was a good read and it helps that working on aircraft we have an appreciation for some of the more technical things mentioned in the book.

The book is written by Ben Rich, the one time boss of Skunkworks, a secretive aircraft builder which was a part of Lockheed. The book mainly covers the development of the SR-71 Blackbird, U2 Spy Plane and F-117 Nighthawk. All three were huge leaps forward in technology and being able to see what went on behind the scenes is great. Fortunately the technological detail is kept at a level which will appeal to everyone. From an engineering point of view I probably have a bit of a better appreciation of some of the problems they faced that others would not but it still remains very readable and easy to understand.

It is not all about the technical detail either, there is a lot coverage given to the government situation they had to deal with. In the early days they had far less intrusion from the end user than they faced in the later days. Some of this was probably down to the fact that the CIA were the agency involved with the U2 and although they knew what they wanted they didn't have any technical specialist on board. In later times the USAF were involved and they had very knowledgeable engineers and designers themselves.

The most interesting part of the books for me was how the projects tied in with the cold war. The fact that the SR-71 was tracked by the USSR but they could not shoot it down was something I never knew about. The SR-71 simply flew far too high for them to intercept.

The only downside to the book is that Ben Rich can get very preachy at times. The final few chapters he deals with how money can be saved by the defense industry and how aviation companies should be run. Although some of the points are very valid, many of them consist of any government or defense official not being involved in any way. This is something that is just not possible in the modern aviation industry. He also rarely mentions any merit in the design of any of their competitors, both domestically and from the USSR. The Su-27 in particular is never mentioned despite the fact that it remains one of the most agile aircraft ever built.

Anyone having an interest in aviation, the cold war or engineering will find this book to be a good read. ( )