Johnson, Kelly

Johnson, Kelly

▪ American aeronautical engineer
byname of  Clarence Leonard Johnson  
born Feb. 27, 1910, Ishpeming, Mich., U.S.
died Dec. 21, 1990, Burbank, Calif.

      highly innovative American aeronautical engineer and designer.

 Johnson received his B.S. (1932) and M.S. (1933) degrees from the University of Michigan before beginning his career with the Lockheed Corporation (Lockheed Martin Corporation) in 1933. As head of the “Skunk Works,” Lockheed's secret development unit, he helped design more than 40 airplanes. Among them were the P-38 Lightning (see photograph—>); in 1943 the P-80 (later F-80) Shooting Star, the first American jet fighter to go into production; the Constellation (designated C-69 in its military transport role) and the later Superconstellation (1950); the F-104 Starfighter (1954), which traveled at twice the speed of sound; the high-altitude U-2 (1954), the first plane to sustain flight above 60,000 feet (18,000 m); and the YF-12 and SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest and highest-flying planes in the world, with speeds exceeding 2,000 miles per hour (3,000 kilometres per hour) and operating altitudes in excess of 85,000 feet (26,000 m). Johnson used titanium alloy instead of standard aluminum on the SR-71, which allowed high-speed flying despite intense temperatures.

      Among Johnson's many honours and awards was the Medal of Freedom (1964). After retiring from Lockheed in 1975 as senior vice president, Johnson remained a director until 1980 and was senior adviser until his death.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • JOHNSON (KELLY) — Kelly JOHNSON (Clarence L. JOHNSON, dit) 1910 1990 Si les satellites de surveillance militaires ont tendance à remplacer désormais les avions de reconnaissance, ces derniers ont largement contribué pour leur part, dans les années qui ont suivi la …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Johnson Kelly Duncan — General Duncan Johnson Kelly Duncan (* 19. März 1827 in York, Pennsylvania; † 18. Dezember 1862 in Knoxville, Tennessee) war ein Brigadegeneral der Konföderierten im Sezessionskrieg. Duncan wurde 1827 in …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Johnson (Familienname) — Johnson ist ein Familienname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Johnson ist eine patronymische Namensbildung, abgeleitet vom englischen Vornamen John (deutsch: Johannes). Namensträger Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kelly Johnson — ist der Name folgender Personen: Kelly Johnson (1910–1990), US amerikanischer Flugzeugkonstrukteur, siehe Clarence Johnson Kelly Johnson (Gitarristin) (1958–2007), englische Gitarristin und Sängerin, Gründerin der Band Girlschool Kelly Johnson… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kelly Tripucka — Fiche d’identité Nationalité …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Johnson K. Duncan — Johnson Kelly Duncan (March 19, 1827 ndash; December 18, 1862) was one of the few generals in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War who was born and raised in the North. An antebellum officer in the U.S. Army, Duncan commanded …   Wikipedia

  • Kelly Johnson (engineer) — Clarence Kelly Johnson Clarence Leonard Kelly Johnson Born February 27, 1910(1910 02 27) Ishpeming, Michigan, USA Died …   Wikipedia

  • Kelly Johnson (disambiguation) — Kelly Johnson is the name of: *Kelly Johnson, the popular name for Clarence Johnson, an aircraft engineer. *Kelly Johnson (baseball) (born 1982), baseball player for the Atlanta Braves *Kelly Johnson (guitarist), lead guitarist for Girlschool… …   Wikipedia

  • Kelly Johnson (guitarist) — Kelly Johnson (20 June 1958 – 15 July 2007) was an English guitarist.Early yearsShe attended Edmonton County School in Edmonton, which is in North London, and part of the London Borough of Enfield. Musical careerKelly Johnson was one of the… …   Wikipedia

  • Kelly Johnson (Gitarristin) — Kelly Johnson (* 20. Juni 1958 in London; † 15. Juli 2007 ebenda) war Sängerin, Gitarristin und Gründungsmitglied der New Wave of British Heavy Metal Band Girlschool. Musikalischer Werdegang Hauptartikel: Girlschool Kelly Johnson wuchs in London… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”