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The Starfighter has often been called the "missile with a man in it"; a name swiftly trademaked by Lockheed for marketing purposes. In service, american pilots called it the “Zipper” or “Zip 104" because of its prodigious speed. A less charitable name came from the West German pilots: “The Flying Coffin.”
The design was a product of the Korean War, and was unique in several respects. The encounters with the MiG-15 in Korea caused a strong outcry among Air Force fighter pilots for a cheap, lightweight, maneuverable, high-performance fighter to confront future Soviet fighters. The result was the F-104, a fighter that overemphasized rate of climb and brute speed. Intended as a point defense interceptor, range was sacrificed for rate of climb. It used an exceptionally small wing span of only 21 feet, and provided low speed lift through air bled from the engine and vented over the wing. Designed as a supersonic superiority fighter, the F-104 was produced in two major versions. Armed with a six-barrel M-61 20mm Vulcan cannon it served as a tactical fighter and, equipped additionally with heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles, as a day-night interceptor. The USAF procured about 300 Starfighters in one- and two-seat versions.
With the rate of climb and speed, the F-104 was ideal for the NATO countries who required the quick response but did not require a long combat radius.
The first XF-104 made its initial flight in 1954. It was the first aircraft to fly at twice the speed of sound and held numerous airspeed and altitude records. On May 18, 1958, an F-104A set a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph, and on December 14, 1959, an F-104C set a world altitude record of 103,395 feet. The Starfighter was the first aircraft to hold simultaneous official world records for speed, altitude and time-to-climb. Using an accelerated loft technique, some F-104s have been flown to higher than 90,000 feet.
The F-104 on display was never flown. It was used by Lockheed to test the durability of the air frame by dropping the air craft. It was shipped to the Chanute Technical Training in April, 1957.
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation
Designation: F-104
Nickname: Starfighter
Crew: 1- Pilot
Length: 54' 8"
Height: 13' 5"
Wingspan: 21' 9"
Empty Weight: 14,082 lbs
Max Weight: 28,779 lbs
No. of Engines: 1 -- Various General Electric turbojet engines w/afterburner
Thrust 14,000 to 18,000 lbs
Cruise Speed: 519 mph
Max Speed: 1,450 mph (Mach 2.2) at 35,000 ft.
Climb Rate: 50,000 feet per minute
Ceiling: 58,000 ft
Range: 1,000 mi
Armament: M-61 Vulcan 20mm cannon
External Armament: Two AAM-N-7 Sidewinder missiles on tips
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Stachiw, Anthony L. and Tattersall, Andrew. CF104 Starfighter (Aircraft in Canadian Service). St. Catharine's, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing Limited, 2007.
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