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Kelly  By  cover art

Kelly

By: Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, Maggie Smith, Brig. Gen. Leo P. Geary USAF - ret. - foreword
Narrated by: Johnny Heller
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Publisher's summary

Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson led the design of such crucial aircraft as the P-38 and Constellation, but he will be more remembered for the U-2 and SR-71 spy planes. His extraordinary leadership of the Lockheed "Skunk Works" cemented his reputation as a legendary figure in American aerospace management.

©1985 Smithsonian Institution (P)2019 Tantor

What listeners say about Kelly

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I only wish the book was a bit longer

I feel like more details on specific objects could've been put into this to make the story longer. very intersting story!

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Truly a great man!

The book vividly describes his life and work and is best read before/after the book called “Skunkworks” by Ben Rich

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Aeronautical History at its finest

Read by an engaging storyteller who keeps you enthralled the whole time. A great story of one of the greatest engineers of our time.

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Insightful

If you want to know about the genius behind Skunkworks and planes like the Sr71 look no further. This is a short but insightful account of the man the legend. Narrator was fine

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I wish it was longer

Kelly is one of my heros, this book was perfect to me. It goes over what shaped him and that is worth more then the aviation stories, which are phenomenal too.

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An amazing engineer tells his story.

Loved it, just wished there was more. Kelly Johnson is an Engineering hero. as important to the world as was Edison, though Kelly was so much more humble. someone for all to aspire to be like.

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Great Account of a Great life

Good mix of technical and personal. Johnson seemed to know what readers would want to know. Mentions five times that he wanted to grow up to be Tom Swift. Narrator's voice is a bit scratchy but acceptable.

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great book could not put it down

fisnshed this book in 2days. I could not put it down.
can't wait for the next one.

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Great biography about a great man

As an aviation nerd I know that this book probably won't interest most people, but I thought it was a great look into one of the greatest men of the 20th Century.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very well done, well researched and narrated.

A lot of Kelly's history explains his drive and ambition. He doesn't take credit for inventing everything, but deserves all the credit for how he organized and recruited talent. Some great information about the U2 and how they invented the SR 71 and it's many iterations.
Very well done.

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