Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

Lockheed F-104A-10-LO 060928-F-1234S-011

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single engined high performance interceptor. It served from 1958 to 1969, and was designed by Lockheed. It has become well known for its poor safety record when compared to other jets for its time. The Starfighter's speed and especially its ceiling are highly competitive even against current aircraft.

Details:[]

Length: 54 ft 8 in
Wingspan: 21 ft 9 in
Wing Area: 196.1 ft
Maximum Speed: 1328 mph
Rate of Climb: 48,000 ft/min
Maximum Altitude: 60,000ft

Notes[]

The F-104 has a list of nicknames to go with it, including "Missile with a man in it", and "The Flying Coffin".
Early models had a downward ejection seat, for fear that the seat would hit the tail of the plane at high speeds. when ejecting. However, this proved to be a liability at low altitude.
The F-104 has been known to set world records concerning speed, altitude and rate of climb.
The F-104 design was used as the basis of the experimental CL-1200/X-27, with a full size mock up constructed using stock F-104 components.^[1]