What Is Lockheed's Skunk Works?

David Senra, reading Kelly Johnson, says Skunk Works is a concentration of a few good people solving problems far in advance, and at a fraction of the cost of other groups in the aircraft industry, by applying the simplest, most straightforward methods possible to develop and produce new projects. Johnson calls it the application of common sense to some pretty tough problems.

The promise Johnson made to Skunk Works employees, which Senra says still applied, was a challenging worthwhile job, stable employment, fair pay, a chance to advance, and a chance to contribute to the nation's first line of defense, plus good management, sound projects, good equipment, and good work areas.

That post was not the highest job in the company. Lockheed offered Johnson the company presidency three times, and he declined three times. He said no job in the corporation was better than head of advanced development projects, the internal name for Skunk Works. He was doing what he had wanted to do since he was 12 years old.