{"product_id":"the-impossible-factory-the-remarkable-true-story-of-kelly-johnson-and-the-lockheed-skunk-works-americas-innovation-machine-hardcover","title":"The Impossible Factory: The Remarkable True Story of Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works, America's Innovation Machine - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJosh Dean\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe extraordinary true story of Lockheed Martin's \"Skunk Works\"--the radical innovation hub that designed the greatest airplanes of the twentieth century--and the visionary who made it all possible \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A kerosene-soaked masterclass in what extreme innovation looks, feels, and even smells like.\" --\u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author Ashlee Vance \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt began with a humble warehouse building in Burbank, California, and a charismatic young engineer named Kelly Johnson. In 1938, Johnson, who was then freshly out of the University of Michigan's school of engineering, got the idea for a small, agile, disruptive engineering shop--one that could help America's war machine innovate more quickly. By 1943, with the U.S. now in World War II and desperate for new technology, \"Advanced Development Projects\"--later nicknamed the \"Skunk Works\"--was born. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDuring Johnson's forty-seven years at Lockheed Martin, the Skunk Works developed at least half a dozen planes that would have been the capstone achievement of anyone else's career. There was the P-38 Lighting, which outdueled Axis pilots over Europe and the Pacific. The XP-80, America's first ever fighter jet, which did indeed help the Allies win World War II. The Constellation, the first passenger plane with a pressurized cabin, revolutionized commercial air travel. The U-2 spy plane, which could reach an astonishing altitude of 70,000 feet, enabling it could fly dangerous covert missions in Soviet airspace during the height of the Cold War. And perhaps most famous of all, the A-12\/SR-71 Blackbird, one of the most unusual, and iconic, planes ever designed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBut the planes were only part of Kelly Johnson's legacy. There was also his management style, which would come to shape organizations for decades to come. Under him, the Skunk Works' structure--flat management, no red tape, extraordinary speed--quickly became the model for nurturing innovation, and eventually would fuel the nimble startups of Silicon Valley. Half a century before Mark Zuckerberg coined the motto \"move fast and break things,\" Kelly Johnson was living that mantra--and at the same time helping the Department of Defense secure the fate of the free world.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eJosh Dean is a New York-based journalist, author, and podcaster. His work has appeared in \u003ci\u003ePopular Science\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMen's Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other places. He is the cofounder of the acclaimed narrative podcast studio Campside Media, and the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as \u003ci\u003eShow Dog: The Charmed Life and Trying Times of a Near-Perfect Purebred\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 496\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.59 x 9.28 x 6.48 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 19, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52091571929389,"sku":"9781524745516","price":33.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/the-impossible-factory-the-remarkable-true-story-of-kelly-johnson-and-the-lockheed-skunk-works-americas-innovation-machine-hardcover-2299348.webp?v=1780161916","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/the-impossible-factory-the-remarkable-true-story-of-kelly-johnson-and-the-lockheed-skunk-works-americas-innovation-machine-hardcover","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}