F-104A “Starfighter”

The first XF-104 made its initial flight at Edwards AFB in February 1954. In May 1958, a YF-104A set a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph over Edwards, and in December 1959, an F-104C set a world altitude record of 103,395 feet there. The Starfighter was the first aircraft to hold simultaneous official world records for speed, altitude, and time-to-climb, most of which were established at Edwards AFB. The USAF procured about 300 Starfighters in one- and two-seat versions, and another 1700 were sold to foreign countries. This Starfighter was loaned to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center shortly after being delivered to the USAF in 1957. In 1959 it was bailed to Lockheed and fitted with a G-model tail for nuclear weapons shape trails. It was also used as a chase plane on the first flight of the Lockheed SR-71A in 1964 and later flew with a U-2 nose installed to support AIM-7 missile tests for the F-104S. It returned to NASA service in 1966 and flew test missions at Dryden until 1977. It was transferred to the AFFTC Museum in 1985 and restored by the 412th Test Wing Surfaces Team in 2006.

California · United States