Lockheed And Skunk Works. The History Of The Company That Gave Us The SR-71 Blackbird, and the F-22
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- Lockheed And Skunk Works. The History Of The Company That Gave Us The SR-71 Blackbird, The U-2 Dragonlady, F-22 Raptor, and many other amazing Aircraft. Learn about Kelly Johnson, Ben Rich, and witnesses of the birth of the California company.
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The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and merged in 1995 with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but otherwise-unrelated Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company, which was operational from 1912 to 1920.
Allan Loughead and his brother Malcolm Loughead had operated an earlier aircraft company, Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company, which was operational from 1912 to 1920.The company built and operated aircraft for paying passengers on sightseeing tours in California and had developed a prototype for the civil market, but folded in 1920 due to the flood of surplus aircraft deflating the market after World War I. Allan went into the real estate market while Malcolm had meanwhile formed a successful company marketing brake systems for automobiles.
On December 13, 1926, Allan Lockheed, John Northrop, Kenneth Kay and Fred Keeler secured funding to form the Lockheed Aircraft Company in Hollywood (spelled phonetically to prevent mispronunciation). This new company utilized some of the same technology originally developed for the Model S-1 to design the Vega Model. In March 1928, the company relocated to Burbank, California, and by year's end reported sales exceeding one million dollars. From 1926 to 1928 the company produced over 80 aircraft and employed more than 300 workers who by April 1929 were building five aircraft per week. In July 1929, majority shareholder Fred Keeler sold 87% of the Lockheed Aircraft Company to Detroit Aircraft Corporation. In August 1929, Allan Loughead resigned.
The Great Depression ruined the aircraft market, and Detroit Aircraft went bankrupt. A group of investors headed by brothers Robert and Courtland Gross, and Walter Varney, bought the company out of receivership in 1932. The syndicate bought the company for a mere $40,000 ($660,000 in 2011). Ironically, Allan Loughead himself had planned to bid for his own company, but had raised only $50,000 ($824,000), which he felt was too small a sum for a serious bid.
In 1934, Robert E. Gross was named chairman of the new company, the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, which was headquartered at what is now the airport in Burbank, California. His brother Courtlandt S. Gross was a co-founder and executive, succeeding Robert as chairman following his death in 1961. The company was named the Lockheed Corporation in 1977.
The first successful construction that was built in any number (141 aircraft) was the Vega first built in 1927, best known for its several first- and record-setting flights by, among others, Amelia Earhart, Wiley Post, and George Hubert Wilkins. In the 1930s, Lockheed spent $139,400 ($2.29 million) to develop the Model 10 Electra, a small twin-engined transport. The company sold 40 in the first year of production. Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, flew it in their failed attempt to circumnavigate the world in 1937. Subsequent designs, the Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior and the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra expanded their market.
#sr71 #skunkworks #aircraft
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After watching the 17 landing on the moon i was impressed about the work that was carried out. Was not impressed by the guys sent the do these things. Talk about children.
Zvg v v
The greatest aviation story I heard was about Jack Northrop was when they showed him aged 90 a model of the B 2 stealth bomber. He had pioneered the flying wing concept in the 40's. Jack had suffered a stroke and could no longer speak but said volumes when he cried.
That is wrong, the concept is from the german 3. Reich😅
remember that it was heart warming to say the least...
He designed the flying wing in the 20s
@@spencerstevens2175and remeber a clip when they showed him what they came up with the B-2
you don't reckon 'Paperclip' and the Horten Bros may have had a hand do ya?
the SR-71 is the most beautiful and best airplane to ever be built
The XB-70 is a very close second in my book too.
F117
That and the F22, as far as being revolutionary with their ground-breaking technology, performance & stunning beauty/design
This is fantastic. Listen to the names he's naming off. The giants of American aviation. What an incredible life he lived, rubbing elbows with these people. Kids today have no idea how these men set the standards. And all done without so much as a calculator, much less computers. I wish I could have met any one of them. Thank-you for a truly wonderful video. What an educational & enjoyable video.
I would have loved to have met Kelly Johnson. Probably the greatest airplane designer ever.
My father worked for Howard Huges as the corporate controller - retired in the 1980's - many interesting stories he had
My dad worked there for over 30 years. At burbank and then Palmdale. He needed a top secret security clearance.
Thanks for putting out this great, very informative documentary! Hopefully it will show and teach younger generations the pride and determination that their forefathers put into the workforce that helped tremendously to make America the great country it is !
Absolutely wonderful stories,
told by a wonderful first hand storyteller.
WHAT A GREAT PART OF OUR COUNTRY HISTORY .. so much we have given away !!!
The Vega was a great plane …💪💪💪
This gentleman is a great narrator
You can tell how proud he was of the company and his personal experiences.
This superb history is important to me for two reasons. First, my 40+ year, post-undergraduate school, professional life was principally focused on state-of-the-art Naval aviation. Second, after retiring from the Navy, I immediately began a wonderful two decade career with Lockheed, eventually retiring as the Director of Navy TacAir Programs. I was truly blessed to join a company with a heritage of innovation and willingness to take intelligently managed risks to surmount current constraints in every phase of aviation design, development, test, production, modification, and sustainment.
Also the P-38 (the plane that founded the Skunk Works) the P-80 (the first jet fighter for the U.S.), the U-2 (the reconnaissance plane with the longest service history) the F-104, the F-117, and the F-35.
Interestingly the first jet to fly in the U.S. was the Bell XP-59, powered by an engine derived from Frank Whittle’s invention (the first working turbojet). In 1941 the British inventor was sent, together with his invention to General Motors, and in great secrecy (G.E. Made a video about the event that can be found on the channel).
The same engine powered the first operational U.S. jet fighter, the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, but also the infamous MiG-15, which was superior to the P-80, as the Soviets cloned Whittle’s turbojet (RR Nene), after discarding all variants of the German turbojet that were still disastrously unreliable, and short lived, as they had been at the end of WWII (Me 262).
Whittle’s engine also because the base for Pratt & Whitney’s first turbojet.
To look back and think that I came so close to being somebody in this most fascinating business, and chose a wife instead, which lasted less than five years just breaks my heart. Not that I wanted money or status, but a deep feeling that I could have been somebody to myself, it's really just beyond words. I did end up in the area of making, testing, repairing, shipping, etc., fuel tanks for many different aircraft, from cutting patterns to loading finished product on the trucks was as far as I got. I really enjoyed my job and wish I was still there, but after about 35 years I retired due to too much red tape everywhere, security cameras everywhere, etc.. If you had an Idea, it was a race to see who could shoot it down and take credit for it first instead of the co-worker trying helping you run with it. It was so discouraging that you eventually just went to work, punched your clock, done what you were told, punched the clock again and went home only to do it all over again the next day. At the end of my career, it turns out I have several people that would have given me a fair interview and I didn't even know about it. Life could face been so much fun..
Talk about being in the right place at the right time! This extraordinary gentleman had just about the perfect seat from which to watch the 20th century, and what a memory he has to rattle off story after story with such erudite fluidity.
I love these old documentaries that let people talk in depth about history and their experiences. Today's documentaries with loud music and over the top narrators are a bit bland for me.
Sometimes those bland documentaries are made in part or in whole by Generative AI - video relatives of ChatGPT.
Lost my ability to understand 11 on Jay card like well. I love your songs.
Awesome as usual thanks ds
Loving these documentaries
my cousin childhood friend worked for Lockheed, the FBI actually came to my cousin house to interview her and my aunt who worked for the state at the time. this was 30+ years ago. i do remember my cousin's friend being all about schooling.
There was only Lockheed when Kelly started the Skunk Works. No Martin...
Why is it not supprising that Amelia donned the plant work overalls and joined in the manufacturing process ?
From the few pictures I've seen, she has a direct and to the point stance about her, a rare attribute even today.
You should do an episode on the Lockheed L-133 Starjet designed in 1939, that the Military turned down, until the Germans ME-262 came around. 👍👍 10⭐
And a deep dive on the proposed powerplant
"Kelly’s team rented a circus tent to work on the project and delivered the fighter in just 143 days. According to lore, the tent had a pungent smell because it was sitting adjacent to a plastics factory in Burbank. The name Skunk Works was born."
The narrator, Harvey Kristen is my wife's late great uncle. For those interested in research, our family has put thousands of artifacts, photos, etc. from Harvey's legacy on loan to the Huntington Museum in Pasadena, California.
Thank you to your family for preserving aviation history, it is so important.
Fascinating video.
Thank you. 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
Very cool older gentlemen doing the explaining ..... great doc :)
Thank you Harvey for giving us a glimpse of what
The pioneers of Aviation had to do..God Bless you
Sir..
"As an old man, there would come a time when an aircraft would no longer relevant. People wouldn't travel for business, he said, because they would sit at their desks and talk to people in Europe by VIDEO PHONE. And in the battlefield, manned aircrafts were no longer cost efficient in the age of missiles" - Kelly Johnson
What a time to be alive
Stunning
What is little known, is that then Lockheed-Georgia also had their own Skunk Works....
Súper extraordinary aeroplane SR_71 black bird # one 🤩👍💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎
I like how it mentions Kelly Johnsons skunk works rules were adopted for business were widely adopted but the flipside is many businesses might not put them in context. his rules should be followed up with the basics of 6sigma and reliability engineering. Otherwise it's just a simple mantra
Nice photo of the XB38 when the B17 was mentioned. The XB38 being a prototype B17 fitted with liquid cooled engines.
Living in FT Worth when in the 70s the company was General Dynamic,where I would attend the Rec centers with my family’s friends it wasn’t till late 90 when Lockhead Martin ,FT worth Staple Company,Thanks FDR,and Mr Amon Carter 🇨🇱💜
Awesome! The only thing missing was a few bars of the Lakeside Park groove following the intro.
What a great tour / talk ❤
Mr Kristen reminds me a little of Art Linkletter.
I remembered how Lockheed's relocation back in the late 80s killed off the Chinese restaurants that sprung up nearby. We used to supply these restaurants and they ended up filling bankruptcy and we didn't get a dime 😂
This is a really good Documentary!!!
Good job ✈️
Thank you for this incredible documentary. Really is a shame there is nothing left, it's all a retail mall now. Walk around to the back loading dock areas and image that Lindy, Huges and Earhardt have walked and flown in this area.
Thanks for the video, keep posting videos when you're able to even if you prefer text over, have a good day
Wow!
@1:00:00 best quote
Had to wait till the end to see if you sent the other plane, lol!
It is amazing what can be accomplished when Government Regulations don't bog you down.
🙄
Couldn’t do anything like that today
It is truly an amazing concept , The American Woman , always kind , always the representative of that which they chose to represent , yet , fierce , fierce like the lion , commanding that respect which is due . GodBlessed is indeed with the spirit of the American Woman , nothing like them before , nor geographically sense has graced this planet with anything equal to their force of will . I tip my hat , much respect to the fighting , loyal spirit of the American Woman .
Now all these building are probably Jay Leno garages.
tell that to a Southern woman. You WILL have your hands full.
Does said 'American Woman' also have a literate grasp of grammar and use of the comma? If so, would you please seek her tutelage?
no all you have to do is get close you'll see
@@funstuff2006
The only problem with the Tristar? The engines. Had they used GE or P&W or even made them an option, the L-1011 would have trounced MD. But someone had a chub for those Rolls Royce engines that ended up delayed longer than the first flight of the 787.
⚓️ Thanks Lockheed 🌈 great stories BUT!!! How were the foils designed??? The design team??? Without good foils … wings .. tails .. propellers .. it won’t work 😎
🛸
Interesting design. Only real question mark I have in the design is the reasoning for the inverted gullwing.
While you may get a little better visibility as a side effect, (not significant enough in the case of a fighter or interceptor) the reason planes like the Corsair and Stuka had them was to allow for massive props without having to worry about massive front landing gear to prevent prop strikes, and to allow for bigger bombs to be carried in the case of the Stuka in particular.
Don’t get me wrong, it looks good, but overcomplicating the wing design to incorporate the inverted gullwing for the sake of ground visibility on a fighter is a poor decision, unless you’re needing a massive prop, or planning on it pulling double duty as a ground attack fighter
you should go tell them, they need you there to help design
1:26:20 it's coming true
Great video as always!
Shame on all you know-it-all Canadians who feel the need to disparage the RCAF.
I believe Lockheed Aircraft started in Detroit
Boy, I wish he would have talked more about “Operation High jump” @ 45:30. But I’m sure he wouldn’t.
Did LOCKHEED copy BOEING, or the opposite when it came to camoufging the Assembly Plants?
Why wasn't the Viking given the traditional star constellation nomenclature?
Leo would have been fitting.
I don't think it was a matter of one of them copying the other when it came to camouflaging the factories, I'd lay odds if you did the research you'd find out it was simply a matter of who got theirs done first after a government directive told them to camouflage their factories to protect against possible air raids from the Japanese with them being on the west coast and all, I'll bet the camouflaging idea and the orders to do it came from some kind of government committee or board formed to make the country "war proof", the same people who told everyone they had to have blackout curtains in their homes and directed towns to designate certain buildings to be the local air raid shelters and all the other kinds of stuff people had to do early on when they were worried about a possible invasion or at least bombardment of manufacturing and civilian areas.
Lots of people with Scandinavian decent working for Lockheed through their history.
Kelly Johnson had Swedish parents.
It is always interesting to note how many foreigners only found success when they went to the US.
Elon Musk comes to mind, and obviously Nikola Tesla, but also Bell, who did not really invent the phone, as he stole the idea from the Italian Meucci, also living in the US. Einstein, or Giannini, the founder of Bank of America, and so on.
One should wonder why they had to leave their country to begin with. The obvious answer is opportunity, as the US is made of risk takers that have an open mind compared to, for example, a more conservative/classist mind.
@@Dronescapes
You gotta love that at the end of the day, we are a meritocracy. It matters not where you come from or what you might do with your day to day life... If your ideas are sound, they will not only be adopted but funded here in the US. Your race, gender, religion or political views are irrelevant compared to the results your work yields. I think that is the defining difference.
We still have much to work towards in the way of accepting and respecting diversity but the more we move in that direction... The more innovation and success we will see and enjoy. For that is the hallmark of America. All are welcome, all are given the opportunity and, should you possess the capacity to succeed, all are afforded the chance and incentive to do so.
So GE gave birth to Lockeeth
they made good brakes too, Lockheed Girling to the unwashed.
“Due to a navigation error” of course..
Would some-one post the Google Maps location where Lockheed was located in the 1940? I have managed to find Empire Ave in Burbank, but everything has changed..
Look for shopping centers.
And UFOs
Odd how there wasn't even a reflection on how the Lockheed team felt when Wiley Post got himself and Will Rogers killed, or how they reacted to Amelia vanishing. A bit of a propaganda tour.
First! From germany!
Second Proud American!!
Too many ads. Unfortunately it's not worth it to try and keep watching
Do you know you have several options that allow you to watch it without any ad?
UA-cam Premium is one of them, but you can also be a member of the channel, and see some videos, like this one, ad free.
Someone needs to email heckle fish and let fish know. Hecklefish likes the pronoun "fish". I had huge gold fish named fish 1 and fish 2
Where zero point generator and anti gravity. Stop holding out. We know about the reverse engineered ET vehicles
The roofing look like cpu design ...is it a leak
why tear down these buildings - you have a homeless problem - here is a possible solution - and since the facilty is so huge - you can renovate for apartments and business services such as addiction treatment, grocery services and such - what a wast to just destroy these buildings - and no, i am not a SJW just a person who thinks we waste too many structures for whatever reason
It would cost more to clean the buildings out to make the habitable for humans. You have no idea the amount of industrial contamination, or old toxic materials that those buildings contained. Stuff like lead paint or asbestos. It's better for all to tear the buildings down.
@@Jnor116 i agree - we have an old wafer board plant in our town that is slowly rotting away - the company that owned the building offered to build an eco-system to help clean the water on the shores of the lake that this building sits on - the town refused their request so now we have an old industrial plant just rotting away with no method of removal for this structure and its' contents - but i am sure that there are some old, or empty structures that can be repurposed - after all, the government can pour millions into apartment buildings as in London ON
lt 11 is a piece of junk
What is?
Cirrus is a cloud, Electra is also not a star
Sirius is the proper spelling for the lockheed model 8.
So sad we don’t have American 🇺🇸 or company leaders like the old. These people were so dam smart talented and driven for America. Under budget and ahead of time. That never ever happens these days.