Genre: Memoir
Length: 480 pages
Audiobook Length: 12 hours and 8 minutes
First Published: 1994
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Rachael’s Review
Known as “The Father of Stealth,” Ben Rich was the second director of Lockheed’s Skunk Works and crucial in the development of the F-117, the first stealth airplane. Rich’s memoir gives you a fascinating look at one of the aerospace industry’s elite companies and an inside peek into the development of such renowned airplanes as the U-2 and SR-71. With segments from pilots, military members, and other individuals involved in the programs, Skunk Works is a captivating read for any aviation enthusiast.
Publisher’s Description
From the development of the U-2 to the Stealth fighter, the never-before-told story behind the high-stakes quest to dominate the skies Skunk Works is the true story of America’s most secret & successful aerospace operation. As recounted by Ben Rich, the operation’s brilliant boss for nearly two decades, the chronicle of Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works is a drama of cold war confrontations and Gulf War air combat, of extraordinary feats of engineering & achievement against fantastic odds. Here are up-close portraits of the maverick band of scientists & engineers who made the Skunk Works so renowned. Filled with telling personal anecdotes & high adventure, with narratives from the CIA & from Air Force pilots who flew the many classified, risky missions, this book is a portrait of the most spectacular aviation triumphs of the 20th century.
About Ben R. Rich
Benjamin R. Rich was an American engineer and the second director of Lockheed’s Skunk Works. Often called “The Father of Stealth,” Rich worked on the F-117, F-104, U-2, SR-71, and F-22, among others. Rich is the author of the memoir Skunk Works. He died in 1995 at the age of 69.
About Leo Janos
Leo Janos was a journalist, former speechwriter for President Lyndon B. Johnson. Janos co-wrote with Chuck Yeager and Ben R. Rich. He died in 2008 at the age of 74.
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