- 18 hours ago
For educational purposes
The F-104 Starfighter was a mainstay of the U.S. Air Force fighter arsenal for nearly three decades.
Its design was innovative and controversial, but influenced all fighters that followed.
The F-104 Starfighter was a mainstay of the U.S. Air Force fighter arsenal for nearly three decades.
Its design was innovative and controversial, but influenced all fighters that followed.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:18I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
00:44The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was the first interceptor to fly at sustained speeds of
00:50twice the speed of sound, breaking numerous airspeed and altitude records.
00:56I'm Paul Maxmoga, and I've flown some of the most sophisticated fighter aircraft ever built.
01:08Because of its missile-like appearance, its long, thin fuselage with stubby wings, it was
01:15nicknamed the missile with a man in it.
01:19This is the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, Virginia.
01:22This interactive museum features exhibits spanning 100 years of flight and more than 30 historic
01:28aircraft.
01:29On this episode of Great Plains, we'll learn the remarkable story of the F-104 Starfighter.
01:35A unique plane, the F-104 stays in production for 30 years.
01:57My name is Kenneth Flick.
01:59I'm the Educator Resource Manager here at the Virginia Air and Space Center.
02:04Hey, Ken.
02:05Great to meet you.
02:06Nice to meet you, too.
02:07Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today.
02:08We're talking about the F-104 today.
02:10Right.
02:10And I can see one hanging from the ceiling right over top of us.
02:13What can you tell me about this specific airframe?
02:15Where did you guys acquire it from?
02:16Well, it's on loan from the United States Air Force that was built and delivered to the
02:21Air Force in 1959.
02:24It actually is a Vietnam veteran.
02:27Wow.
02:28That's rare.
02:29Yes, it is, especially for the 104.
02:32It flew in Vietnam in 1965, 66, and 67 on three tours.
02:38This is the way the aircraft looked originally when it was delivered to the Air Force in 1959.
02:45Encounters with the MiG-15 during the Korean conflict causes an outcry from Air Force fighter
02:49pilots for an aircraft that can outperform their F-86 Sabres, but is less complicated to fly.
03:03The Korean War making new demands on U.S. aircraft, designers are confronted by a problem
03:08in the engines that are available to them.
03:11A new generation of engines is being developed, but they are in the early stages, and their
03:15availability is undetermined.
03:21At Lockheed, a team led by aviation pioneer Kelly Johnson, one of the most innovative aeronautical
03:26engineers, begins developing the concept of a single-engine supersonic interceptor capable
03:31of sustained speeds above Mach 1.
03:36Johnson's reputation as an engineer has already been firmly established.
03:43His innovative designs brought great financial rewards to Lockheed during the Second World War.
03:48The successful P-38 Lightning, with its radical twin booms and its single nacelle holding
03:54the cockpit, was typical of his approach to design solutions.
04:01At the same time, in the U.S.S.R., designs of new fighter planes continue at a great pace.
04:08A long series of new designs appear, and Russia begins to make impressive military aircraft
04:14in large numbers.
04:17The development of their new planes comes as a shock to many Westerners when MiG-15s appear
04:22in the sky over Korea.
04:43U.S. pilots, hard pressed in their sabers to keep on top of the MiGs, request radical new
04:49planes to give them back the advantage.
04:53The challenge becomes Kelly Johnson and Lockheed's next project.
05:01Johnson realizes the new plane needs to go as high as possible and as fast as possible.
05:08He chooses a lightweight fighter.
05:10In a short time, he settles on what is to be the F-104's most controversial design element.
05:16It's extraordinarily small, thin wing.
05:20In addition to its size, skeptics aren't impressed with its trapezoidal shape that goes against
05:25the recently adopted swept wing design of other jets.
05:30Tell me a little bit about what you know about the design philosophy that Clarence Kelly Johnson
05:34had when he built this.
05:35Mr. Johnson actually designed this airplane back in 1954.
05:41And it's a very small fuselage, very thin fuselage, generally lightweight for an aircraft of that
05:49date, but had an extremely powerful engine for the period, and it has some very small wings.
05:56In fact, the wingspan is only 21 feet.
05:5921 feet.
06:00Versus the fuselage is 54 feet.
06:02In fact, the wing is so small and so thin that when it was on the ground, they had boots
06:08to put on the leading edge of the wing because an airman could seriously hurt himself on the
06:15leading edge of the wing.
06:16Get little 104 kisses on your forehead.
06:19On your forehead or the scalp, you know, it would maybe take your scalp off.
06:23It was a very, very thin wing.
06:27The new design must go through a battery of wind tunnel tests.
06:31Hundreds of variations of the basic concept are examined.
06:36Much of the testing is directed at the wing because of the many doubts expressed about
06:40its ability to fly and carry a payload.
06:44The wing is to be 7 feet long and go from being just over 4 inches thick at the fuselage
06:50down to under 2 inches thick at the tip.
07:08A new boundary layer control system is needed to direct air from the engine over the trailing
07:13flaps, improving lift and safety on landing.
07:16The thinness of the wing also means the fuel tanks and landing gear have to be contained
07:21in the fuselage.
07:23Attention is also focused on the air intakes, seeking to prove that the shock waves around
07:27the inlets allow controllable and dependable air supply to the engines.
07:33Footage taken near Mach 2 shows shock waves around the model, demonstrating the pressure loads
07:38in the ducting under various flight conditions.
07:49In additional tests, the F-104 design is bolted to 5-inch Army rockets to demonstrate the types
07:55of stresses that high speeds and sudden acceleration can exert on the wing in low altitudes.
08:15The plane's tail is designed to be very thin, and many people are convinced it is strong enough
08:20to steady the plane in flight.
08:24Once again, the tests help the team to sort out the best combination of elements.
08:33The overall development period, including hundreds of models, will be completed in just two years.
08:48In 1995, the F-104 demonstration team, known as the Starfighters, was formed to showcase low-level,
08:55high-speed aerobatic maneuvers and precision formation flying.
09:00The team is made up of three F-104s that serve in various roles, training, operational flight
09:06tests and evaluation, and for air show performances across the United States and Canada.
09:22During the Korean conflict, U.S. pilots come face-to-face with the Soviet's highly maneuverable
09:27swept-wing MiG-15.
09:29In an effort to keep pace, U.S. pilots are in need of a new fighter jet to give them
09:33an edge
09:33in aerial warfare.
09:37Lockheed hopes their F-104 prototype will be the solution to the MiG problem
09:40and starts testing the drastically new lightweight design.
09:45After hundreds of tests, little or nothing is added to the original plan.
09:50And with the F-104's design sound, a contract is issued for two planes to be built.
09:58In 1953, with the design of the new F-104 finally agreed upon, manufacturing begins.
10:06The first step in the fabrication creates the three fuselage models to full scale.
10:15Simultaneously, the jigs to cradle the hull planes are built.
10:19All over the workshop, manufacturing of the parts begins.
10:24The planes, on an experimental production run, are essentially hand-built.
10:30In a flurry of activity after the receipt of the March 1953 contract,
10:35Lockheed clears production space, constructs a wooden mock-up, and then, without stopping, builds the two prototypes.
10:43The first flight is to take place only 12 months after the signature of the contract.
10:52The achievement in the 12 months is astonishing.
10:56It is a leap forward in aviation and technology.
11:02This kind of accelerated design would be unheard of in today's fighters.
11:11The controversial wings are not made to go through the fuselage, as with most of the fighters of the day.
11:16They are both to the side, with heavy-duty, precision-forged aluminum fittings that tie into the wing skins.
11:25What Johnson designed is very straightforward in some ways.
11:29Asked for a plane that can fly higher and faster than the MiGs, he produces a manned missile.
11:40With its undercarriage retracting into the fuselage in a fairly complicated way,
11:45even this has to be subjected to more than the usual testing.
11:53The Air Force has never seen a design this drastic before, and puts its trust in the Lockheed and Johnson
12:00names.
12:03But the F-104 is definitely on trial.
12:18The construction of the plane goes ahead rapidly, with the major sub-assemblies coming together at the Lockheed plant.
12:28Vibration testing establishes the natural frequency patterns for the entire structure, to ensure the plane is safe for flight.
12:43On February 25, 1954, the F-104 prototype leaves the Lockheed plant under tight security,
12:49and is transported to Edwards Air Force Base in California.
12:56The crews immediately begin a thorough round of pre-flight ground checks of the plane's systems, in preparation for its
13:02first flight.
13:08The engine for the prototypes is the Wright J-65, which proves inadequate in propelling the F-104.
13:22With the first flight a few days off, the engine is tested continuously.
13:31The new design makes for other adaptations of standard safety systems.
13:36In case of emergency, pilots ejected downwards to avoid being hit by the jet's tail.
13:42While obviously of no use at low levels, this system allows for a simplified layout in the cockpit,
13:47and the arrangement of the canopy in the seat itself.
13:51Because of the danger of ejecting pilots straight into the ground,
13:54later starfighters use conventional seats, firing upward.
14:03Although the test pilot has made a skip-off during taxi trials on the 28th of February,
14:07on March 4th, 1954, the F-104 is rolled out for its first official flight.
14:27Satisfied that all is well, he starts down the runway and lifts the F-104 into the air for the
14:32first time.
14:40In the weeks of test flights that follow, it becomes evident that the power plant is lagging
14:46far behind the Mach 2 potential of the airplane.
14:49But the Mach 2 concept of the lightweight fighter is conclusively proven.
14:58Despite the prototype's inability to exceed 1.3 times the speed of sound
15:02with its current engine, the design has been vindicated sufficiently for the Air Force
15:06to order 17 more planes with upgraded power plants, as YF-104As.
15:11They are later converted to F-104As.
15:23The jets are equipped with General Electric's J79 engine, with higher thrust and less weight.
15:41In April 1955, one of these finally takes the Starfighter past Mach 2, which is the signal for F-104
15:48production to swing into top gear.
15:51For the moment, the intense testing of the two prototypes continues.
15:58The prototypes, seen here flying together, are both to be lost in accidents during the test period, which is long
16:04and troubled.
16:06There are many incidents where bugs in the plane's engine or its other equipment are encountered, often in situations that
16:12are very dangerous.
16:21One test pilot is involved in an early mishap in 1954, while testing the firing of the Starfighter's high-speed
16:27cannon in supersonic flight.
16:34After a trouble-free first firing, he starts the plane on another run, ready to fire the gun again.
16:42This time, something goes dreadfully wrong, and the plane loses all engine power.
16:52The pilot is facing a dead-stick landing without the assistance of the boundary control system.
17:01The F-104 had a 50-year military operational history and served in various roles for 15 countries, including the
17:08U.S. and Canada.
17:10More than 1,700 F-104s were built under the military program for various nations.
17:24During high-stake test flights of the new F-104, the single engine cuts out in mid-flight.
17:34The pilot must maneuver back home with no engine power.
17:38He finds himself having to make some very quick decisions.
17:42He is about 40 miles from base, high enough, theoretically, to be able to glide back to land.
17:49This is what he sets out to do, knowing that he still has a margin to eject from the plane,
17:54but also knowing that very soon he will have to commit himself to the landing, as he passes below the
17:59safe limits for the ejection seat.
18:17Even before the hatch is opened, a dirty smudge of smoke shown on the fuselage confirms that the gun has
18:22caused the problem.
18:24Behind the gun, in the gun compartment, is a hole blown into the plane, where a cartridge has ejected backward
18:30through the gun base plate.
18:32Relieved that the malfunction is in the gun and not the airframe, the engineers fix the plane and the tests
18:37go on.
18:42The repaired prototype goes back to the gun testing, but four months later there is to be a recurrence of
18:48the problems with the cannon.
18:53The F-104 levels out for its second firing run of the day.
18:59The cannon produces vibrations so severe that the damage is major, and the aircraft becomes uncontrollable.
19:11At 50,000 feet, the pilot ejects from the crippled plane.
19:27Emergency services respond immediately, and the pilot is recovered unharmed.
19:38The starfighter is a total loss.
19:42The first of many F-104s to be written off in crashes.
19:47The cannon has been the obvious suspect in the crash, and it is established that another malfunction in the gun
19:53has damaged the plane, this time with drastic effect.
20:02One of the weapon systems that the F-104 has is a six-barrel 20mm Gatling gun, the Vulcan Gatling
20:10gun.
20:11In fact, very similar to the Vulcan cannons that were on the F-4 Phantoms in later years.
20:17The design borrows two features from the famous Gatling gun, first patented back in 1862.
20:24Both have a rotating cluster of barrels, and both are externally driven.
20:29Rigidly clamped together, the six barrels give each other support, and the system does not have the whip of a
20:35single barrel.
20:37In addition, the arrangement centralizes the recoil of the gun.
20:46The M61 is driven with electric power from the plane.
20:52Each round is fired independently, eliminating the erratic recoil of multi-gun and gas reloaded options.
21:08At the time, the M61 is a new weapon, and the troubles that it causes in the early days of
21:13the F-104 are expected with any piece of advanced equipment.
21:20A comparison of the Vulcan with the U.S. Air Force's previous preference of machine guns is difficult.
21:32In hitting power, range, speed of fire, and the effects of the plane on the gun's actions,
21:37the Vulcan has such a wide margin of superiority as to render such an evaluation meaningless.
21:42Even with consideration of multiple machine gun installations.
22:00Contrary to Kelly Johnson's assessment, the military procurement policies after Korea demand multi-role capability.
22:08So, despite the origins of the design as a single-role specialized fighter,
22:12provisions are developed for the F-104 to carry a mixed load of weapons.
22:18Though the starfighter's superlative performance is appreciated in the U.S. Air Force,
22:22it is not seen as sufficient justification for the project,
22:26and Lockheed is forced to develop some unlikely attachments for the plane in trying to convince the Air Force to
22:31stay with the project.
22:36Among these is the trapeze installation to allow the carriage and delivery of the Genie nuclear rocket.
22:49This clever launching mechanism is another product of Kelly Johnson's intuition.
22:55With the challenge that his plane cannot deliver this device over a combat radius of 650 miles,
23:01Johnson announces he can do it within 60 days.
23:07The starfighter's fuselage is already fully occupied,
23:10and a major influence on the launcher is the need to keep it out of the way of the undercarriage.
23:23With little fuss, the F-104 demonstrates successful firings of the Genie at 56,000 feet,
23:29and above 1.7 times the speed of sound.
23:38But the ability of the design to respond to such a challenge does it little good in the Air Force's
23:43eventual assessment.
23:46Lockheed tests a variety of weapons delivery attachments and external fuel tanks,
23:51increasing the range and versatility of the plane, but it still cannot rescue the project.
24:00The F-104 is very much in the right place at the wrong time.
24:10While other fighters are getting bigger to do more things,
24:14Kelly Johnson has abandoned all but the essentials in getting the plane sized down to get Mach 2 out of
24:19a single afterburning turbojet.
24:24But this condemns the starfighter to a very limited career with the US Air Force.
24:29There is simply no way to cram all the rapidly expanding hardware of radars, aiming controls, and other new avionics
24:36into the little plane.
24:41But the fact that it can do a lot of things that its heavier counterparts cannot do is ignored.
24:56The assessment says that the F-104 lacks all weather capability, lifting power, and range.
25:03And these perceived failings are eventually to decide the issue.
25:06The project is set for financial failure, but the work that had started on giving the F-104 greater versatility
25:13goes on,
25:14trying to delay the inevitable and keep the Air Force interested in the plane.
25:28The plane's weapons capability includes standard systems, like the Sidewinder.
25:35There is no question that the F-104 is in fact an effective firing platform.
25:41The plane thrives in the air superiority role it had been built for.
25:50It carried on hardpoints on the outside of the wings, two A-9 Sidewinder missiles, and could also carry ordnance
26:01under the wing.
26:02Of course, that would slow down the speed of the aircraft, so it was not used a lot in, let's
26:09say, air to ground.
26:10But mainly it was a fighter interceptor.
26:13Get high, get fast, try and shoot things and not worry about turning.
26:17Get your man and go home.
26:17Yeah, I mean, I can't imagine with a wing that's designed like that, this aircraft could turn anywhere smaller than
26:22about the size of Texas.
26:24And that's when it's trying real hard, you know?
26:28More sophisticated radar and fire control packages are developed for the fighter,
26:32and prowling B-47 bombers are detected and intercepted with great efficiency.
26:37But the Air Force is fully aware of the fighter's capabilities and prefers other options.
26:44Beginning in 1956, NASA operated F-104 Starfighters in the extreme regime of high-speed flight research.
26:52To further examine rocket-powered aircraft during the late 1950s, NASA modified F-104s with a hydrogen peroxide thruster system
27:00to give soon-to-be rocket pilots the experience necessary for flying high-speed aircraft.
27:15From the start, the Air Force attitude toward the F-104 is guarded.
27:21Before, the Air Force used to accept a new plane into use while it was still being tested.
27:25The fly-and-then-fix principle.
27:29The F-104 is the first plane to be purchased on a fixed-then-fly basis.
27:37As the prospect of large U.S. Air Force orders fade, another market is quietly revealing itself in Europe.
27:46The pure performance of the plane is remarkable.
27:50And with its rapidly expanding technical capability, it is maintaining a position as the design to beat.
27:58On top of the expansion in the weaponry of the plane, during 1958 and 1959, it is sent on a
28:05spree of record setting to reinforce the message of its potency.
28:10It held a lot of airspeed records and rate-to-climb records, too.
28:15In fact, in its career, it broke seven world rate-to-climb records, including 15,000, 20,000, and 25
28:24,000 rate-to-climb.
28:26In 1958, the Starfighter soon makes up for its limited range by adding in-flight refueling technology.
28:33At the time, this is still very new and expensive.
28:51To sell into the European market, the F-104 has to display many of the capabilities in ordinance, range, and
28:58technical sophistication
28:59that have been deliberately excluded from the designer's original concept.
29:04Many of the aircraft's capabilities that have become problems for the U.S. Air Force will also prevent sales in
29:09Europe.
29:16Even though it has evolved into a capable, multi-role, all-weather strike aircraft,
29:20the question marks already over the plane mean it has to not only succeed, but excel in the tasks set
29:27by its prospective buyers.
29:41A German order will require some of the most stringent design requirements, including the capability of speedy takeoffs from short
29:48runways.
29:53The plane displays that it has the strength to cope with this artificially shortened landing, but the challenge to the
29:59pilots is another thing entirely.
30:02The Luftwaffe is also concerned with the ability to deploy planes away from established runways in the event of a
30:08conflict.
30:10Lockheed successfully redesigns the F-104 to show that it can handle zero runway length deployments.
30:19First tested on an F-84, the zero runway length system uses truck mounted rockets.
30:34First unmanned and then with the pilot, the launches are executed successfully.
30:45Although zero launch capability is never adopted, it makes the starfighter more valuable in the eyes of the Luftwaffe.
30:57West Germany has a pressing need for these kinds of innovations.
31:00At the height of the Cold War, it sits on the border between eastern and western spheres of influence.
31:10It is vital to demonstrate to its neighbors that West Germany has the capacity to defend itself successfully.
31:19NATO also needs new arms, and there is a healthy desire to standardize NATO armories.
31:26If the German call for new equipment can be met by Lockheed, many other orders could be won at the
31:31same time.
31:34One of the developments that sees the F-104 concept saved is the two-seat variant.
31:40U.S. fighters always seem to have a trainer or reconnaissance version that uses two seats, and the F-104
31:45is no exception.
31:48The Germans are primarily after a ground-strike aircraft, but are also looking for a jack-of-all-trades, and
31:54a twin-seat variant is very much a part of their thinking.
31:58The F-104 also sees service as an efficient high-speed test platform.
32:04In the specially-built F-104-N variant, the aircraft is fitted with hydrogen peroxide thrusters to give astronauts experience
32:12operating reaction controls in the thin air over 100,000 feet.
32:25In the long term, there are to be few performance targets set for the F-104 that it cannot cope
32:30with.
32:33The pilots, however, are a different matter.
32:39There is never a certainty that any individual pilot will be able to cope with the plane.
32:53The need for specific training of pilots for the F-104 is a sign of things to come, rather than
32:58an exception to a long-standing rule.
33:15A properly trained pilot flying a well-maintained F-104 is not at risk.
33:21But when an unprepared pilot meets the plane, the combination could be lethal.
33:30The crew is related to the firm's select of the vehicle and quickly reduces the terrain, because the із認識 is
33:32ben, zero, but again for the on-什麼.
33:38torture is silently р early!
33:54Thank you, gentlemen.
34:07Lockheed's sales strategy includes a production offset package that will see the planes manufactured
34:12by cartels of European aviation companies.
34:23The boost for European airspace capability from the construction of these new factories
34:28is one of the clinching factors in this successful campaign.
34:40When it comes to the final NATO decision, the plane itself performs very well.
34:50The competition for the contract is serious, and some of the competitors are very able airplanes, particularly the British Lightning.
34:58But by the time the contract is decided, the F-104 has proved itself the outstanding aircraft in the competition.
35:08Unlike development, the marketing and sales of the F-104 has been long and plagued by troubles.
35:14The plane's reputation as a hot ship has cut both ways.
35:20Its unquestioned speed and simplicity can be very unforgiving to the unwary pilot.
35:25There are to be over 8,000 flights in the pre-sale test series using 52 aircraft.
35:33Several of the planes are lost through equipment malfunctions and pilot errors.
35:38But the Starfighter is without a doubt a pivotal aircraft in the post-war development of jet aircraft.
35:52The F-104 Starfighter was popularly known as the missile with a man in it,
35:57a name which was trademarked by Lockheed for marketing purposes.
36:00However, due to its deathly speed and dangerous reputation,
36:03it also acquired some not-so-flattering nicknames like Widowmaker, Groundnail and even Flying Coffin.
36:14The F-104 Starfighter is not the first U.S. design to seek light weight and simplicity as virtues.
36:22For example, the Bell XP-77 had nearly gone into production during the Second World War.
36:29Even though the design is radically different from others of its time,
36:32the controversy surrounding it makes Air Force brass wonder if it's a lemon.
36:39The U.S. Air Force phases its F-104s out of operational use by 1967.
36:51However, during Vietnam, before the F-104s are completely out of U.S. service,
36:56some are to be deployed to Southeast Asia as high-flying MIG cab for the B-52s
37:01and in low-level tactical support strikes.
37:09The Russians have also learned lessons from Korea.
37:12Where the Starfighter sacrifices almost all in the quest for speed and climb,
37:17the U.S.S.R. develops a radically different requirement.
37:20Issued in 1953, this is for a short-range interceptor fighter, the MiG-17.
37:37High performance is stipulated, especially in speed, climb rate and rate of turn.
37:44The primary armament is to consist of air-to-air missiles, internal cannon and a light ground support bomb load.
38:01The MiG-17s are an updated 15, with better handling and a more sharply swept wing and tail plan.
38:12It is to be built in very large numbers, and though theoretically obsolete when first proposed,
38:18it defies this assessment and proves very effective, even in the mid-1960s in the skies of Vietnam.
38:30U.S. thinking is totally different.
38:33The concept of a simple, stripped-down fighter aircraft is no longer in fashion.
38:40The F-104's fellow Century Series aircraft all share a commitment to complex, state-of-the-art technology,
38:46each with varying degrees of success.
38:50The F-101 Voodoo, F-102 Delta Dagger, and the F-106 Delta Darts see limited service in Vietnam.
39:02They all reflect, in their way, the concept of the fighter as a standoff missile launch platform.
39:08Theoretically, they are all specialized aircraft devoted to facets of an overall fighter spectrum.
39:17During their careers, these divisions tend to fade, as each developed multi-role capability.
39:23The F-101 in particular grows into different uses.
39:29It is doubtful that any of the other planes in the Century Series can compete with the Starfighter.
39:36In fact, there are many considerably more modern planes that will find great difficulty dealing with the F-104.
39:45The overseas sales program with the Starfighter not only rescues the project from the brink of financial disaster,
39:51but makes it into an outstanding success for the company.
39:56With the deals on production, it goes into service with 15 air forces, including the U.S.,
40:02and is the nearest to a standard Western fighter plane to have been produced.
40:07The fire control systems and other controls are virtually tailor-made for each country's version of the plane,
40:13and it is used in many ways.
40:17The F-104 has a reputation for demanding the respect and care of the pilot,
40:21but it also has a reputation as the hottest thing in the air.
40:26Air forces around the world employ it in a variety of roles,
40:30and contribute to its development well into the 1990s.
40:37Lockheed maintains its own private Starfighter as a promotional device,
40:41flying almost constantly worldwide in search of orders,
40:44and in later PR efforts to try to rescue the plane from the bad publicity that is attached to it,
40:49causing it to be one of the most controversial aircraft of all time.
41:04It is in this plane that Jackie Cochran,
41:07hero of the 1930s Bendix races and the Second World War Wasps,
41:11becomes the first female Western pilot to break the speed of sound.
41:20With an airframe that was built to fly high and fly fast,
41:23that is not always considered to be highly maneuverable,
41:26at least not back then.
41:27Today it might be, back then it wasn't.
41:29So maneuverability-wise, how was the Starfighter?
41:33Quite frankly, it wasn't the greatest maneuvering aircraft design,
41:38again, because of the smallness of the wing.
41:40So it took a lot of area to make the turn,
41:43put a lot of Gs, especially at the speeds,
41:47put a lot of Gs on the pilot.
41:48So, if you want to say one of the disadvantages of the F-104,
41:54it would have been in its maneuverability.
41:56What it lacked in maneuverability is more than made up in speed and firepower.
42:01So, straight lines, little hooks.
42:03Straight lines, little hooks.
42:05Shoot first and keep on going.
42:07The problems of the F-104,
42:09from the unavailability of powerful enough engines for the prototypes,
42:13and then the unreliability of the J-79,
42:16continued throughout its early career.
42:24The scrutiny and the testing of the plane has been without precedent,
42:28and the methods and technology of such testing has never been the same since.
42:53Despite being saddled throughout its lifetime with a horrible reputation,
42:57and seemingly never free from controversy,
43:00the F-104 is vindicated.
43:07In its long career, it has carved its own special place in the history of aviation.
43:13in the lead to the F-104.
43:22That will be the lead.
43:22It is found out there.
43:25It is found in the lead.
43:26That will be the lead.
43:26The lesson is found in the lead.
43:28You've been the lead.
Comments