First F-104 delivered today

[nauga]

The folks who flew the F-104 and flew it well really liked it.

"When all you've got's a hammer everything looks like a nail."

Used properly, it fought in the vertical and could out-climb and out accelerate anything up to the F-15...

Then it certainly must have an impressive exchange ratio.

Nauga,
who knows there's a reason they hung bombs on 'em

 

[weirdjim]

I love the story about Chuck Yeager and the NF-104 he took to ~102,000ft and flat spinned it when it re-entered the atmosphere. Ended up punching out over the desert.

We have that pig on a stick at the entrance to our local airport.

Jim

 

[nauga]

We have that pig on a stick at the entrance to our local airport.

There's another NF-104A on a stick in front of the Air Force Test Pilot School.

Nauga,
and the crosstown rival

 

[Ghery]

Did I read correctly that the F-104 had a "bottom out" ejection seat??

Think you did! Watch the clip above from "The Right STuff", shows the ejection.

Only the earliest block of the aircraft had the downward ejection seat.

Wikipedia credits the downward firing ejection seat with 21 fatalities. I was looking for a count of how many were produced with downward firing seats and later fitted with upward firing seats.

A story I heard years ago was about an F-104 pilot with plenty of time in the downward firing ejection seat models. The procedure for a low altitude ejection was to roll the plane on its back and punch out (for obvious reasons). His demise came with a later version with the upward firing ejection seat. Had a flame-out at low altitude, rolled it over and blew himself into the runway. I can't speak for the veracity of the story, but that's what I was told.

 

[3393RP]

Well, everything I've read says Kelly designed to be a fair weather air superiority fighter. The design was born from the results in the Korean War. The pilots wanted a MIG killer that was simple, light, fast and manuverable.

It wasn't designed with any great range, fire power or a radar system to be a bomber interceptor. It took later modifications to fulfill that role.

https://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/airdef/f-104.htm

You make a good point about onboard radar and such, because a look at the F-106 shows what the requirements were for an aircraft capable of intercepting a Soviet bomber carrying thermonuclear weapons.

The F-106 had the first remotely directed guidance system, which operated with the Air Force's SAGE computers hunkered down in massive four story concrete facilities.

The onboard equipment was bulky and heavy, and it took the heft of the F-106 to carry it at supersonic speeds. The Starfighter couldn't have left the ground with that package.

The F-106 and SAGE were an incredible system. If you want to learn about our country's first line of defense in that era I recommend reading up on the subject. It's a fascinating story.

 

[3393RP]

So where did you get that from?

I wondered too. I'm pretty sure LM is still building C-130Ks.

 

[kyleb]

Nauga,
who knows there's a reason they hung bombs on 'em

Probably the same reason they hung bombs on the F-51, F-80, F-84, F-86, F-100, F-101, F-105, F-4, F-5, F-14, F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, and the T-37. ;-)

 

[mscard88]

You make a good point about onboard radar and such, because a look at the F-106 shows what the requirements were for an aircraft capable of intercepting a Soviet bomber carrying thermonuclear weapons.

The F-106 had the first remotely directed guidance system, which operated with the Air Force's SAGE computers hunkered down in massive four story concrete facilities.

The onboard equipment was bulky and heavy, and it took the heft of the F-106 to carry it at supersonic speeds. The Starfighter couldn't have left the ground with that package.

The F-106 and SAGE were an incredible system. If you want to learn about our country's first line of defense in that era I recommend reading up on the subject. It's a fascinating story.

My dad worked in a few SAGE facilities and a couple of early warning radar sites. Seems like he told me the F-106 was actually guided from the SAGE operation to the target. There's one at McGuire AFB, Newburgh NY, and Gunter AFB that are among others still standing, used for other purposes now of course.

 

[mscard88]

I wondered too. I'm pretty sure LM is still building C-130Ks.

They are at the plant in Marietta GA. USAF is currently receiving updated C-130s for their Special Ops such as the AC-130 Gunship and MC-130 Combat Talons. I think they're J models.

 

[Bill]

Only the earliest block of the aircraft had the downward ejection seat.

Wikipedia credits the downward firing ejection seat with 21 fatalities. I was looking for a count of how many were produced with downward firing seats and later fitted with upward firing seats.

Yes, the early seats were not powerful enough to get the pilot above the T-tail, so they fired out the bottom. Later models, including the one Chuck punched from, had more powerful seats that COULD get the pilot above the T-tail. I'll bet that thing kicked hard.

 

[3393RP]

My dad worked in a few SAGE facilities and a couple of early warning radar sites. Seems like he told me the F-106 was actually guided from the SAGE operation to the target.

Yep, that's why I said the F-106 was the first to receive all target guidance from a remote environment. It's pretty cool that your dad was involved in the SAGE project. He prolly has Stories (with that capital S) which are fascinating.

The aircraft could be directed from the SAGE radars and computers without any intervention from the pilot.

 

[mscard88]

Yep, that's why I said the F-106 was the first to receive all target guidance from a remote environment. It's pretty cool that your dad was involved in the SAGE project. He prolly has Stories (with that capital S) which are fascinating.

He never talked about things much, especially WW2 and the Korean war, let alone SAGE stuff. I figured he had a clearance and certain things he couldn't talk about.