My carrier in the Air Force started as Engine Mechanic in early 1950. Then started flying in 1950 on c-54's, moved on to a new airplane, the Douglas Sky Master C-124 as a Flight Engineer and ended up with over 10,083 hours logged. Having read General Yeager's book, twice, I still enjoyed reading it again. You don't have to be cracy to fly, but it sure helps. At one time in Yuma,Arziona, with the help of a Pilot and an outside power unit, we started ALL 4 engines at the same time. Didn't have the nerve to do it again. Even climbed the propeler once to win a bet, didn't do that again either, my stomache like to have kill me. General Yeager, I salute you for a great book. Write another one so that I can relive some of your past as a Pilot

Yeager is an extremley exceptional man, He is the man who have accomplish so much in his life, The first time I saw his book in the store, I said to my self, what is this bald old man doing in the front of the F-20 Fighter ?, I was curious so I bought it. At home when I read it, I just can't take my eyes away from the pages, His courage is very exceptional, His love to Glennis is something to be envy, but those thing doesn't made him a Superman, He also have many flaws here and there, The Most exciting part of his book is when he was in England figthing in World war II, That's will show us how a young poeple like him and his buddy deal with death as a fact of life, and how his fear and excitement were mixed up in that period. His days as a Test Pilot is also fun to read too, for me the most exciting part of this period is not when he broke the sound barrier, but is the part when he describe the daily life with his friend and his hang out place. Reading Yeager we read about a life of a hillbilly who happens to be the righterous heir of the Right Stuff and he is the one who will not die with a frown in his face

Having had the opprotunity to meet Chuck Yeager,To say the least, was a thrill for me. The experience prompted me to read his autobiography. I will say that it is far and away the best non fiction that I have read to date. Having had the opprotunity to meet this "Living Legend" a second time was an incredible feeling for me......after learning about how he had cheated death on many occasions and literally outran sound with a broom handle....you will have to read the book to find out what I talking about....Mr. Yeager is an American Hero in every sense of the word! I will sum this up in three words. READ THE BOOK!

For 16 years Ben Rich was the head of Skunk Works, Lockheed Corporation's secretive special projects division. In this engrossing work, he examines 40 years of aerospace innovations, including the U-2, F-117, and (my favorite) the SR-71 Blackbird. Although the book is all about incredible innovations, do not fear that this book will be overly technical; I never bogged down while reading it and found a lot of it humorous, in fact. (On the same point, it's only fair to note that if you ARE looking for a highly technical work, this is probably not the book you want.)

I must admit that I grew up playing endlessly with toy jet-fighters, and thus for subject matter alone I would have to give three stars. Rather than telling the history of Skunk Works strictly chronologically, Rich breaks the book down into chapters that focus on specific projects. This approach avoids confusion that might arise from the overlapping development of multiple aircraft. It also allows the reader to go back and read about one particular plane without wading through unrelated information. Each chapter also contains "Other Voices," short sections written by others involved in the aerospace or defense industries. Many of these sections were written by pilots and provided some of the book's most exciting passages. I thought the "Other Voices" were a great addition that expanded the scope of Rich's work.

I also appreciated that this book was not propaganda for the military-industrial complex (a rut I believe Tom Clancy has fallen in). Rich is justifiably proud of Skunk Works' successes, but he also admits their failures, notably: an attempt in the late '50s to create a plane fueled by liquid hydrogen, and also a stealth catamaran ship. He is also quick to point out the serious flaws with the military's business procedures and candidly asks, "Do the virtuous get their just rewards? The short answer is not if they're dealing with the Pentagon on a regular basis" (p. 302). The final chapter is devoted to discussing the future of aerospace research and ways the military-industrial complex can become more efficient. For example, he shows that the government could save huge amounts of money if Lockheed aircraft were serviced by trained, experienced Lockheed workers, instead of military personnel who are constantly shifted. Yes, it's a somewhat self-serving suggestion, but it also seems fiscally responsible! I thought I would find the final chapter dull, but as a tax-payer it was actually an eye-opener!

My complaints are limited. The non-linear organization works fine when discussing airplanes, but it hampers the book's main "sub-plot": the ongoing relationship between Rich and Kelly Johnson, his predecessor as the head of Skunk Works. Rich paints a vivid picture of the curmudgeonly Johnson, but the development of their relationship is chopped up by the organization of the book. And although the book doesn't warrant an extensive bibliography, some references to other works would give the reader a chance to explore the topic more thoroughly. But neither of these points significantly detracted from my experience. This is an easy and enjoyable read for any arm-chair fighter jock.

Founded in 1943 by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson Lockheed's Advanced Projects Division known as The Skunk Works accomplished revolutionary feats of aviation and created some of the world's most successful military aircraft. Home of the U-2 spy plane, the SR-71 Blackbird and the F-117 Stealth Fighter the Skunk Works (SW) promoted a unique environment within the aerospace industry. This book gives detailed accounts about the projects, people and methodologies that developed some of America's premier military platforms. Every aspect of the innovation process is covered from idea conception through the internal and external politics of promoting revolutionary concepts. Kelly Johnson and latter Ben Rich lead the SW during its most exciting and revolutionary discoveries. This work recounts their successes and failures of management style, discovery and relationships as the details of these projects are explained. Of particular interest is the type of environment and management style that each successive leader of the SW employed to help produce the breakthroughs required to propel these projects to legendary success.

I'm not particularly an avid reader of military history books or contemporary history books in general, but after a coworker described this book, curiosity got the better of me and I bought it. I'm glad I did.

Ben R. Rich joined the legendary 'Skunk Works' as a young engineer, worked on some of the most secretive military projects in recent history, and later ended up taking over management of Skunk Works. As a result, perhaps no one else in the world has as much first hand knowledge of these projects, and no one else is better positioned to chronicle some of America's military crown jewels.

Rich (and Janos) have crafted a unique book that gives Ben Rich story, with interesting first hand accounts from pilots, air force personnel, and highly placed government officials. Rich covers the struggles encountered while building various classified aircraft: the U2, SR-71 BlackBird, the stealth fighter, the stealth boat, among others. He also lightly delves into the darker side of the defense industry: politics, waste, and bureaucracy.

An amazing read, and highly recommended.