I just got back in from Cincinnati for the weekend. As with all airtrips, this is where I read books. Mostly, this is about the only time I ever sit down and read from paper. The choice of this trip was Skunk Works, by Ben Rich, father of the stealth bomber.

The book basically recounts the history of Lockheed Martin's skunk works devision (the people that invented the term skunk works) and Ben Rich's time there from work on the U2 spy plan, the SR71 black bird and then on to his tenure running the Skunk Works and developing stealth technology. Its a really great read and is really a recounting of the cold war through the technological development side-- one of its best features being the recounting of the same event through different "other voices" which include pilots, generals, CIA gmen, etc. In fact, some of the stuff would seem like it should still be classified.

I'm not done reading it yet, but just got through an interesting section on the black-bird and how the airplane was shelved prematurely (to put sole reliance on the use of spy satellites) by then secreatary of defense Dick Cheney. It even recounts how after it was decomissioned early and some situation occurred which called for its use, Cheney again refused as he felt that once it got operational again, there would be no way to decommision again. Rich doesn't really elaborate, but it does make you wonder why such a useful plane met such an early demise. I could throw in a consipiracy theory about control of information (spying controlled by the NSA as opposed to the air force), but really that all is groundless. I guess I just don't like the guy.

A very good read though. Tom Clancy says "Dynamite--The true story of America's crown jewels." I wonder if Clancy really said that, or if it was the novelist he hires to write books under his own name.

By Gary at 08:46 PM in Sci/Tech | Comments (0)