75 Years of the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works - by James C Goodall (Hardcover)

About the Book

This pictorial journey will take the reader from the very beginning of the Skunk Works' very first project (XP-80 Shooting Star) and follow the program through prototype build-up, first flight and, if they reached the frontline, operational service.

Book Synopsis

This pictorial journey will take the reader from the very beginning of the Skunk Works' very first project (XP-80 Shooting Star) and follow the program through prototype build-up, first flight and, if they reached the frontline, operational service.

This pictorial journey will take the reader from the very beginning of the Skunk Works' very first project (XP-80 Shooting Star) and follow the program through prototype build-up, first flight and, if they reached the frontline, operational service. This treatment will be repeated for each of the 30 unclassified program designed and built by the Skunk Works. Each program will form a chapter of at least two pages in length, with a maximum of 14 pages being allocated for programs that went into production and merit more detailed coverage, such as the P-80/F-94/T-33 family, C-130 family and, of course, the A-12 and SR-71.

Review Quotes

"With superb production design, endless behind the scenes photography, this is a real coffee table book for aviation lovers." --The Armourer

"This is an indispensable reference for any aviation enthusiast." --Airfix Model World

About the Author

James C. Goodall is a published author with 24 books in print, and with book No 25 (a pictorial history of the Seawolf/Virginia class nuclear submarines) in the final stages of going to press. He is a recognised expert on low-observable aircraft such as the F-117, B-2A, the Lockheed 'twins' (F-22 and F-35), and the Lockheed Skunk Works family of Blackbirds. Photographing and writing about 'spooky aircraft' for the last 35 years, he is also an acknowledged expert on Area 51 as it pertains to flight-testing classified aircraft in a remote location. His very first book, co-authored with Bill Sweetman, was the first volume in print on the F-117, and it sold more than 60,000 copies. James's seven previous books with SquadronSignal have sold a minimum of 3500 copies to a maximum of 17,000 copies. Even the $100 US Blackbird Flight Manual that was published by Motorbooks in 1990 sold 1,500 copies in 15 months. His Blackbird pictorial from Schiffer (published in May 2018) is considered by many in the 'Spooky aircraft' world to be the most complete pictorial ever assembled on the subject. The new Vice President and General Manager of the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Jeff Babione, described it as 'Spectacular'.