Skunk Works

Midway into the stealth fighter project we began experiencing foreign object damage (FOD) caused by careless workmen. This particular problem is familiar to all manufacturers of airplanes but had been practically nonexistent in our shop. Parts left inside an engine can destroy it or cost lives in fatal crashes. We’ve all heard about surgeons leaving sponges or clamps inside bodies—but I know of a case in the main Lockheed plant where a workman left a vacuum cleaner inside the fuel tank of an Electra. The vacuum cleaner began banging around inside the fuel tank at ten thousand feet and the pilot landed safely before disaster struck. A big problem with jets is keeping runways clear of debris that could be sucked into an engine. Break off an engine blade and it rips through an engine causing catastrophic damage. In our case, workers would crawl into a space with pens in their pocket, oblivious when one dropped out, or they would carelessly leave a bolt or screw inside an engine. One loose bolt left inside could cause us to replace an entire $2.5 million jet engine. Carelessness was costing us about $250,000 annually in repairs. We solved part of the problem by designing pocketless coveralls and installing a very strict parts and tool auditing system on the assembly floor. Our people had to account for every rivet and screw.

We also learned to keep a sharp eye to ensure that workers didn’t try to save time or cut corners by using tools not designed for particular parts. Another concern: workers would screw up and damage a part, but instead of reporting it to their supervisor, they’d sneak off to the supply cabinet and grab another part that was reserved for the next plane they would be building. We learned to keep our parts locked and tagged so that workers could not obtain easy access. We also discovered that some of our welders and riveters had bypassed their required semiannual certification tests. The Air Force auditors were hound dogs and our record keeping stank. After decades of successfully avoiding red tape we were now swimming in it.

“Face it,” I told my supervisors, “our people are getting too damn lax.” We were working three shifts, around the clock, building the stealth fighter. When you build one or two airplanes at a time there isn’t as much discipline as when you are building dozens. Our people never cleaned up their work areas before the next shift came on until I ordered them to stop working fifteen minutes before the next shift and use that time to sweep up and pick up.

The bottom line was that I was forced to use too many inexperienced workers. On the one side I had General Dixon of the Tactical Air Command climbing all over me because of foreign object damage and insisting that he bring in a team of efficiency experts to clean up the mess. “Ben, I know you hate me for it now,” Dixon said, “but you’ll thank me for it later.” He was right on both counts. Ultimately our shops became spotless and models of their kind. But it took a lot of stress getting us there. On the other side I was fighting off OSHA inspectors clamoring to get inside the Skunk Works and possibly close down our operation.

A few workers complained because they heard that the new radar-absorbing materials were made out of highly toxic composites and became concerned for their health. The truth was we were very careful how we used hazardous materials, but because of proprietary considerations I could not reveal in public the composition of our materials, which our competitors would be as eager to discover as the Kremlin. In desperation I called the Secretary of the Air Force to get those OSHA inspectors off my back. I was told, that’s too hot for us to tackle, thank you very much. So I called OSHA and told them to send me the same inspector who worked the Atomic Energy Commission—a guy cleared for the highest security and used to working with highly sensitive materials. This inspector came out and nickel-and-dimed me into a total of two million bucks in fines for no fewer than seven thousand OSHA violations. He socked it to me for doors blocked, improper ventilation, no backup emergency lighting in a workspace, no OSHA warning label on a bottle of commercial alcohol. That latter violation cost me three grand. I felt half a victim, half a slumlord.