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725:"Blackbird". An advanced, long-range, Mach 3.2 strategic reconnaissance aircraft. The Blackbird was designed to provide reconnaissance in defended airspace while improving aircrew survivability. In the Blackbird, mission success and survivability depended on aircraft speed. Ben Rich was responsible for engineering the spikes and engine inlet systems which made the Blackbirds the fastest jet aircraft in the world.
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in flight, Rich considered taking a flight in the SR-71 to experience the phenomenon himself, which included having to go through the same flight physical as pilots. He did not go through with the flight. He did eventually manage the problem by installing automatic controllers to maintain aircraft
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he had to wear. The project was cancelled when the military decided the radar signature was sufficiently low enough without the ionizing equipment. The concept was proven to work, but unfeasible.
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and heat management systems. He was also involved in the specification of the aircraft's black skin coatings which optimized dissipation of their tremendous
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to help absorb radar coming from ahead of the aircraft. The radiation proved to be excessive and the test pilot disliked the heavy
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719:"Dragon Lady". Reconnaissance aircraft. A high altitude jet aircraft used by the CIA and the US Air Force during the cold war.
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crews became upset that engineers were not putting enough effort into solving a constant problem with violent engine
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In 1950, Rich married Faye Mayer, a fashion model, who died in 1980. In 1982, Rich married Hilda Elliot. His son,
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superintendent
Isidore Rich and his French wife, Annie, the daughter of one of his paternal grandfather's
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for his work on the then-still-classified stealth airplane, in a secret ceremony in the office of then-
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Congressional Record--Senate, January 17, 1995, page S962 (Statement of
Senator Robert Dole)
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Area 51: An
Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base By Annie Jacobsen
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Starfighter. Single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft.
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Department of
Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service
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852:. Washington: National Academies Press. 1996. p. 203.
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309:", Rich was responsible for leading the development of the
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644:, he won numerous awards during his career, including the
804:"Ben Rich; Guided the 'Skunk Works' - Los Angeles Times"
523:, then led the effort to design and build a large-scale
873:
Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at
Lockheed
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Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at
Lockheed
675:, is the former CEO and current President Emeritus of
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Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at
Lockheed
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Nighthawk. World's first production stealth aircraft.
429:as originally planned. He would later complete the
51:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
289:(June 18, 1925 – January 5, 1995) was an American
770:"Ben Rich, 69, 'Stealth' Jet Project Chief, Dies"
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713:. Experimental fighter / bomber escort aircraft.
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481:to their urine collection funnel. He designed
572:as well as incorporating materials to reduce
385:US citizen. He worked (with his father) in a
1011:University of California, Los Angeles alumni
519:. There he designed the inlet ducts for the
1001:Deaths from esophageal cancer in California
540:very high-altitude aircraft to replace the
301:from 1975 to 1991, succeeding its founder,
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1006:UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni
991:Naturalized citizens of the United States
961:American people of British-Jewish descent
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595:He briefly worked on a program that used
511:In December 1954 Rich transferred to the
353:. He was one of five children of British
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
981:National Aviation Hall of Fame inductees
679:and his daughter, Karen, is a botanist.
956:Filipino emigrants to the United States
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927:in the National Aviation Hall of Fame
423:University of California, Los Angeles
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652:. In January 1981, he received the
49:adding citations to reliable sources
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768:Ronald Sullivan (January 7, 1995).
648:. In 2005 he was inducted into the
222:Regarded as the "Father of stealth"
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560:for the projects, designer of the
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450:Upon graduation Rich was hired by
411:University of California, Berkeley
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966:American people of French descent
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832:Rich, Ben.R.; Janos, Leo (1996).
931:F-117a.com biography of Ben Rich
836:(First ed.). Back Bay Book.
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317:aircraft. He also worked on the
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900:. Little, Brown & Company,
642:National Academy of Engineering
618:and led the development of the
527:liquefaction plant for project
466:heating system which prevented
401:. After the war he started his
36:needs additional citations for
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650:National Aviation Hall of Fame
610:'s successor as leader of the
548:for the U-2's successors, the
399:Alexander Hamilton High School
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305:. Regarded as the "father of
1016:American aerospace engineers
405:when he was 21, majoring in
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431:Advanced Management Program
293:and the second Director of
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976:Collier Trophy recipients
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517:Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
419:aeronautical engineering
238:Aeronautical engineering
60:"Ben Rich" engineer
435:Harvard Business School
387:Los Angeles, California
361:customers who lived in
313:, the first production
205:Harvard Business School
996:Lockheed Martin people
923:March 9, 2014, at the
695:, on January 5, 1995.
407:mechanical engineering
379:attack on Pearl Harbor
373:just weeks before the
875:(paperback edition),
658:Secretary of Defense
628:He is the author of
287:Benjamin Robert Rich
146:Benjamin Robert Rich
45:improve this article
737:, prototype of the
693:Ventura, California
601:radiation shielding
570:aerodynamic heating
986:People from Manila
896:Janos, Leo (1996)
812:. January 6, 1995.
790:"F-117A: Ben Rich"
775:The New York Times
616:stealth technology
597:ionizing radiation
578:stealth technology
494:transport aircraft
369:. Having fled the
228:Engineering career
177:, California, U.S.
157:Philippine Islands
849:Memorial Tributes
809:Los Angeles Times
699:Selected aircraft
689:esophageal cancer
556:. Rich was chief
487:F-104 Starfighter
425:, instead of the
403:college education
397:, and studied at
363:Alexandria, Egypt
345:Rich was born in
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471:patrol plane
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395:World War II
391:machine shop
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169:(1995-01-05)
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43:Please help
38:verification
35:
18:
951:1995 deaths
946:1925 births
898:Skunk Works
739:F-22 Raptor
612:Skunk Works
513:Skunk Works
383:naturalized
371:Philippines
355:lumber mill
351:Philippines
299:Skunk Works
275:F-22 Raptor
252:Skunk Works
244:Employer(s)
200:UC Berkeley
183:Nationality
940:Categories
746:References
606:Later, as
562:shock cone
538:supersonic
496:, and the
234:Discipline
211:Occupation
71:newspapers
191:Education
101:July 2017
921:Archived
883:, p. 73.
589:unstarts
552:and the
525:hydrogen
479:freezing
464:nichrome
452:Lockheed
446:Lockheed
295:Lockheed
291:engineer
259:Projects
248:Lockheed
214:Engineer
186:American
127:Ben Rich
673:Michael
608:Johnson
501:fighter
475:penises
393:during
349:in the
315:stealth
307:stealth
175:Ventura
85:scholar
904:
879:
856:
636:Awards
530:Suntan
489:, the
460:patent
441:Career
367:Manila
359:Jewish
347:Manila
333:, and
153:Manila
87:
80:
73:
66:
58:
735:YF-22
729:F-117
723:SR-71
711:XF-90
705:F-104
683:Death
620:F-117
585:SR-71
583:When
491:C-130
483:inlet
477:from
454:as a
331:SR-71
319:F-104
311:F-117
92:JSTOR
78:books
902:ISBN
877:ISBN
854:ISBN
550:A-12
498:F-90
468:Navy
335:F-22
327:A-12
202:(MS)
197:(BS)
195:UCLA
164:Died
142:Born
64:news
717:U-2
691:in
542:U-2
521:U-2
433:at
421:at
417:in
409:at
377:'s
323:U-2
297:'s
263:U-2
47:by
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