Chapter 9, Faster Than A Speeding Bullet Summary and Analysis

Chapter 9 tells the story of the Blackbird, the greatest high-performance airplane of the 20th century. The story begins with Kelly Johnson being disappointed that the hydrogen-powered airplane hadn't come to much. Kelly then came up with a bigger idea, as a way to overcome the deficiencies of the U-2. Skunk Works would build a Mach 3 airplane that could fly at this speed for long distances. Rich is made program manager for the propulsion system, a daunting task for an engineer as young as Rich. Kelly promises to deliver to the CIA within twenty months. However, it took him some time to convince Washington that the plan was feasible, and that the height of the new plane would be a great advantage.

The production of the Blackbird began with great focus, as...