F104G Starfighter

[Gunny Hartmann]

I thought this was worth sharing!....
"Anybody want's to buy a Starfighter?
Well, then buy an acre of land....and wait..."


Die Wartung des Starfighters F 104 G - Vor-und Nachfluginspektion (1976) - YouTube

[SteveR]

Hell. I'll take 2 and use them for bookends.

[Chopperman]

one of my favorite aircraft.

[bigmacglenn]

I remember them flying over town (in Germany) in the mid-1970s on a regular basis...they make a very distinctive "whistling sound"...much different than the F4 Phantoms which made more of a "roaring sound"...
cheers, Glenn

[Panzersaurus]

I remember them flying over town (in Germany) in the mid-1970s on a regular basis...they make a very distinctive "whistling sound"...much different than the F4 Phantoms which made more of a "roaring sound"...
cheers, Glenn

That Glenn is the sound the F104 makes as it stalls and falls out of the sky. I'm sure it was a frequent heard sound in 1970s West Germany.

[James C]

great video paul ,its a wonder it took off judging by the short span wings ,i wonder how it would of faired against the east german migs and su's

[Gunny Hartmann]

great video paul ,its a wonder it took off judging by the short span wings ,i wonder how it would of faired against the east german migs and su's

I don't think it would have stood a chance in a dog fight, it was more of an interceptor than a true fighter. When Johannes Steinhoff took over command of the Luftwaffe and grounded the entire F-104 fleet because the losses were so great.
There was a lot of outrage in West Germany because basically Lockheed bribed the government to use the Starfigher!...

[lithgow]

There were a number of factors that made the loss rate for the Starfighter high in West German use-a single engine type (when it goes wrong you don't have a spare), very often poor and changeable weather with flying at low level and the first supersonic aircraft used by them.

[big ned]

They were known as the 'Widow Maker' by crews I seem to recall, the early ones had a downward firing ejector seat that claimed a lot of lives during low level emergencies. They were later changed to upward firing, but these too were not perfect as they could only be used at a speed no higher than around a hundred miles an hour. The aircraft was tricky to fly, being ultra sensitive to control input by the pilot, and mistakes were rarely forgiven.

[kradman]

Hi Ned also known as the flying coffin ,