And Johnson delivered on his promise, helping his protégé win the post he not only desired but richly deserved. And when he did, he planned to personally recommend Rich to take over as director of the Skunk Works, the most prestigious engineering post in the history of aviation. Johnson told his protégé that in three years he would be retiring. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Leo Janus is the author of Yeager, the acclaimed bestselling autobiography of test pilot Chuck Yeager. Kelly listened, shook his head and then offered up a secret of his own. Ben Rich headed the Skunk Works from 1975 until he retired in 1991. Rich had come to tell Johnson that he’d been offered a new position at a rival airplane manufacturer.
And in return, Johnson had taken Rich under his wing, letting him tag along to meetings with military officials. Rich had helped his mentor shore up thermodynamic and propulsion issues with some of Johnson’s most famous creations, including the F-104 interceptor and SR-71 Blackbird. In the 18 years since Johnson recruited Rich to join Skunk Works, the two men had developed a unique, almost father-son, relationship.
In the summer of 1972, Ben Rich, one of the most seasoned engineers in Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works® division, stood nervously outside the office of his boss, the legendary Clarence “Kelly” Johnson.
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