05/25/2026
NAHF Enshrinee Clarence “Kelly” Johnson learned a love of tools and how to use them from his father and similarly developed a love of aviation as a young boy. In 1933, he joined Lockheed (later Lockheed Martin) as a tool designer but he quickly moved up into a variety of roles including flight test engineer before becoming Chief Research Engineer in 1938. A big personality that had utmost confidence in his abilities, Johnson quickly made a name for himself within Lockheed. A handful of years after joining the company, he walked into his boss’s office and told him outright that Lockheed’s new, promising aircraft, the Electra, had a critical instability; he then swiftly corrected the errors. Later, sent to London to finalize the sale of a new Lockheed bomber, he took on the challenge of enacting the British Air Ministry’s many requested design changes. At the start of World War II, he designed the P-38 Lightning, which served the Allies very well.
In 1943, he formed Lockheed’s Advanced Development Projects, popularly known as the “Skunk Works.” In 1953 he became Chief Engineer, and in 1956 he became the corporate Vice-President of Research and Development. Throughout his career, Johnson made significant contributions to the aviation industry, especially during his tenure with the “Skunk Works.” There Johnson and his team developed the P-80 Shooting Star, the United States’ first operational jet fighter, the F-104 Starfighter, the first operational jet that flew at twice the speed of sound, and cutting-edge stealth craft like the U-2, the world’s first dedicated spy plane, and the SR-71, a long-range, high-altitude, strategic reconnaissance aircraft which was unmatched in quality and capability. Johnson’s acumen, engineering skills, and stellar management made the “Skunk Works” synonymous with the advancement of aviation.
