Kelly Johnson | International Aviation HQ

Lockheed JetStar: Lockheed’s Only Business Jet

28Nov

By Christopher Harrow4 Comments

Executive

Lockheed JetStar: Lockheed’s Only Business Jet

For much of its history, Lockheed, and its successor, Lockheed Martin, is/was known primarily for their military aircraft. However, The Lockheed JetStar was Lockheed's attempt to break into the corporate jet market. As one of the first business jets, the Lockheed JetStar was originally quite successful, selling 202 copies of the aircraft over the course of 19 years. Even as the aircraft approaches its sixtieth birthday, there are still a few flying! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Development In the late 1950's, the USAF became interested in a small jet-powered aircraft that could be used as a basic trainer. On top of these trainer duties, it could be used to transport high ranking officers to and from the battlefield. As such, Lockheed desi...

Kelly Johnson: The Man Behind Lockheed Skunk Works

12Aug

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

History

Kelly Johnson: The Man Behind Lockheed Skunk Works

Kelly Johnson is known for a lot of things. He was the lead designer on several of Lockheed's greatest aircraft in the Cold War, as well as being the first leader of Lockheed's infamous Skunk Works division. His work was instrumental in preventing a Soviet win during the Cold War. His work thrust the aviation industry several decades into the future, going from traveling only a couple of hundred miles per hour to several times the speed of sound! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Before Lockheed Kelly Johnson was born on February 27 1910 in Ishpeming, Michigan, a remote mining town. His parents were Swedish immigrants from Malmo. His father, ran a construction company and his mother was a homemaker. He was one of seven children, as well as the...

Lockheed Constellation: Lockheed’s Most Successful Passenger Airliner

14Aug

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Lockheed Constellation: Lockheed’s Most Successful Passenger Airliner

The Lockheed Constellation was Lockheed's most successful passenger airliner. When the "Connie" as it was nicknamed, was introduced, it was among the largest aircraft of its time. It was also one of Lockheed's most successful aircraft, being the most successful commercial aircraft. Due to this, the original Constellation inspired an entire family, some of whom are still flying today! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Constellation Before the Lockheed Constellation was introduced, most airliners were incredibly slow and could only transport around 10 people at a time. The leading airliners at the time were the Boeing 247 and Lockheed Model 10 Electra. Due to this, airlines found it incredibly difficult to stay profitable, without governmen...