Kelly Johnson: Master of the Skies

Outrageous History!

What were those strange lights zipping around Groom Lake at Area 51 through the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond? Millions have been mystified. Chances are most of them were produced by the most advanced aircraft in the world taking off from and landing at Groom Lake on experimental flights. And most of those aircraft were designed and developed by Kelly Johnson, a genius aeronautical engineer who headed the Lockheed Martin secret division, "Skunk Works." Johnson and Skunk Works were responsible for building breakthrough aircraft like the P-80 Shooting Star, the first operationally used U.S. jet fighter, along with the A-12, the SR-71 Blackbird and the F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft. Just as important was Johnson's insistence in operating the Skunk Works as a purely autonomous unit, a concept that has been adapted throughout industry. Listen in as journalist Ernest Granson chats with Jay Millar, a Texas based aviation expert and photo journalist about this unique individual and organization. Jay's book, "Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works" is the first and only official history of the Skunk Works.