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The Impossible Factory: The Remarkable True Story of Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works, America's Innovation Machine
Not yet published
Expected 19 May 26The extraordinary true story of Lockheed Martin’s “Skunk Works”—the radical innovation hub that designed the greatest airplanes of the twentieth century—and the visionary who made it all possible
"A kerosene-soaked masterclass in what extreme innovation looks, feels, and even smells like." —New York Times bestselling author Ashlee Vance
It began with a humble warehouse building in Burbank, California, and a charismatic young engineer named Kelly Johnson. In 1938, Johnson, who was then freshly out of the University of Michigan’s school of engineering, got the idea for a small, agile, disruptive engineering shop—one that could help America’s war machine innovate more quickly. By 1943, with the U.S. now in World War II and desperate for new technology, “Advanced Development Projects”—later nicknamed the “Skunk Works”—was born.
During Johnson’s forty-seven years at Lockheed Martin, the Skunk Works developed at least half a dozen planes that would have been the capstone achievement of anyone else’s career. There was the P-38 Lighting, which outdueled Axis pilots over Europe and the Pacific. The XP-80, America’s first ever fighter jet, which did indeed help the Allies win World War II. The Constellation, the first passenger plane with a pressurized cabin, revolutionized commercial air travel. The U-2 spy plane, which could reach an astonishing altitude of 70,000 feet, enabling it could fly dangerous covert missions in Soviet airspace during the height of the Cold War. And perhaps most famous of all, the A-12/SR-71 Blackbird, one of the most unusual, and iconic, planes ever designed.
But the planes were only part of Kelly Johnson’s legacy. There was also his management style, which would come to shape organizations for decades to come. Under him, the Skunk Works’ structure—flat management, no red tape, extraordinary speed—quickly became the model for nurturing innovation, and eventually would fuel the nimble startups of Silicon Valley. Half a century before Mark Zuckerberg coined the motto “move fast and break things,” Kelly Johnson was living that mantra—and at the same time helping the Department of Defense secure the fate of the free world.
"A kerosene-soaked masterclass in what extreme innovation looks, feels, and even smells like." —New York Times bestselling author Ashlee Vance
It began with a humble warehouse building in Burbank, California, and a charismatic young engineer named Kelly Johnson. In 1938, Johnson, who was then freshly out of the University of Michigan’s school of engineering, got the idea for a small, agile, disruptive engineering shop—one that could help America’s war machine innovate more quickly. By 1943, with the U.S. now in World War II and desperate for new technology, “Advanced Development Projects”—later nicknamed the “Skunk Works”—was born.
During Johnson’s forty-seven years at Lockheed Martin, the Skunk Works developed at least half a dozen planes that would have been the capstone achievement of anyone else’s career. There was the P-38 Lighting, which outdueled Axis pilots over Europe and the Pacific. The XP-80, America’s first ever fighter jet, which did indeed help the Allies win World War II. The Constellation, the first passenger plane with a pressurized cabin, revolutionized commercial air travel. The U-2 spy plane, which could reach an astonishing altitude of 70,000 feet, enabling it could fly dangerous covert missions in Soviet airspace during the height of the Cold War. And perhaps most famous of all, the A-12/SR-71 Blackbird, one of the most unusual, and iconic, planes ever designed.
But the planes were only part of Kelly Johnson’s legacy. There was also his management style, which would come to shape organizations for decades to come. Under him, the Skunk Works’ structure—flat management, no red tape, extraordinary speed—quickly became the model for nurturing innovation, and eventually would fuel the nimble startups of Silicon Valley. Half a century before Mark Zuckerberg coined the motto “move fast and break things,” Kelly Johnson was living that mantra—and at the same time helping the Department of Defense secure the fate of the free world.
Audible Audio
Expected publication May 19, 2026
About the author
Josh Dean
10 books46 followersJosh Dean is a New York based journalist whose work has appeared in Popular Science, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, GQ, Men's Journal, Rolling Stone, Inc., Fast Company, ESPN the Magazine, and many others, covering subjects as diverse as pee wee go-kart racing, snowboarding in Iran, the byzantine world of small production watchmakers, and a start-up nuclear fission company. He is a correspondent for Outside, a former deputy editor of Men's Journal, and one of the founding editors of PLAY, the New York Times Sports Magazine, where he had the great fortune to work with David Foster Wallace on the late writer's classic Roger Federer profile/essay. Josh is almost certainly the first person in history to play in both the WEPA Elephant Polo World Championships and the Quidditch World Cup. (Sadly, his teams won neither.) He is the author of SHOW DOG: The Charmed Life and Trying Times of a Near-Perfect Purebred, an extremely real and yet still unbelievable trip inside the world of dog shows, and THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE STOPWATCH GANG, about Canada's infamous and prolific 1970s gang of bank robbers. His latest book, THE TAKING OF K-129, tells the incredible story of Project Azorian, the largest and most audacious covert operation in CIA history. He lives in Brooklyn (and sometimes in the Catskills) with his wife and two sons.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 18, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the advanced readers e-book.
I loved this book!
The title of the book is the recap! The Impossible Factory: The Remarkable True Story of Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works, America's Innovation Machine
It is incredibly researched and absolutely fascinating! From the incredible details on the history of when, who and where things took place to the heart-pounding test flights, this book has it all. There is a little something in here for everyone. History buffs (like me) to mechanical engineers to war enthusiasts to people interested in flight will find enjoyment reading this exceptional book.
The number of hours and years that Josh Dean (author) must have spent on this ... truly a remarkable labor of love!
I loved this book!
The title of the book is the recap! The Impossible Factory: The Remarkable True Story of Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works, America's Innovation Machine
It is incredibly researched and absolutely fascinating! From the incredible details on the history of when, who and where things took place to the heart-pounding test flights, this book has it all. There is a little something in here for everyone. History buffs (like me) to mechanical engineers to war enthusiasts to people interested in flight will find enjoyment reading this exceptional book.
The number of hours and years that Josh Dean (author) must have spent on this ... truly a remarkable labor of love!
Displaying 1 of 1 review