Lockheed F-104 - price of leadership
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Published 2023-11-12
The F-104 was created based on the experience of the Korean War of the 1950s according to the ultimate concept of achieving maximum flight speeds and altitudes. To suit these parameters, the design and all solutions of the aircraft were optimized, which made it a record jet for a long time.
The F-104 became popular in the export market, with most fighters produced under license outside the United States.
However, achievements in speed and altitude characteristics cost the Starfighter a significant deterioration in others, which became the cause of operational difficulties, many accidents and disasters.
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00:00 – Starfighter
00:36 – Lessons from Korea
03:05 – The XF-104
05:18 – Test flights
08:07 – Records and service at NASA
09:46 – The price of success
13:14 – NATO
14:21 – The widowmaker
16:00 – Mister contradiction
All Comments (21)
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I was a teen AF brat living on a major AF base. My dad, an officer, took me to the flight line. There it was. What a beauty. I was able to get really close. They had put some sort of protective covering on the wing leading edges as a protection. The wing's were that sharp.
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Image that, actually flying a plane within its actual design role. Loved by pilots, incorrectly reassigned roles it was not originally intended to perform. Still one of the most iconic aircraft ever.
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Da Italiano nonostante tutto lo "spillone" rimane sempre un aereo meraviglioso e al centenario dell'Aeronautica militare Italiana vederlo di nuovo in volo dopo oltre 20 anni dal suo ritiro dal servizio è stato un momento emozionante. F104 forever!
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Hands down some of the best aviation content on YouTube! Always excited when Skyship posts
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My dad was a Zipper IP in the 60's at Luke AFB. His take on the 104's air to air combat capabilities: Never, ever engage the enemy on his terms. Learn to love the vertical. Boom & Zoom or Slash & Dash. He absolutely loved the 104. Everytime he would land at a different AFB during a cross country hop, he would goose the throttle while taxiing, giving off the famous J-79 "Woo! Woo!"
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Haven't watched much of you lately but when i saw this i had to click. Love the F-104. Perfect representation of the charismatic late 1950s fighters.
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I’m always very content when there is a new video from Skyships. Quality content and no hyperbole needed. 👍
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Used to see (then hear) these streaking across the horizon growing up in Italy as a kid always inspired me and awed me. Wish I had become a pilot tbh these were genuinely awe-inspiring and LOUD !!! Love ‘em so elegant too.
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I love the visual content and editing. So many clips I have never seen! Even the quick fill clips are relevant and interesting.
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These are such cool looking aircraft and I had the pleasurer of recovering many of them in the early 80's at a SAC base in Michigan when they came down out of Canada...
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I love your narration style and the well-written script. A story well told.
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Nice video, thanks! Kelly Johnson suggested a high flying reconnaissance plane, having the short fuselage of the XF-104, a rounded radom, large wingspan, intakes without machcones (of cause because it was for sub sonic flight) years before the U-2. It was rejected. I built a fictional model in 1:72. You can find it when you search for "Lockheed CL-282B What If, Eigenbau 1:72".
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As always, awesome video. I am so surprised, you haven't done a story on Mig- 21 yet.
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The F-104 Starfighter is also JASDF, Italian Air Force, Belgian Air force, RCAF, Turkish Air force too besides the USAF. Its a nice fighter interceptor aircraft.
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I was Army but stationed in Europe near an airfield that flew F104 G-models. The tiny 7-foot wings were actually just fins, and the craft itself more of a rocket than a fighter - the real difference being that this rocket had a cockpit. Landing speeds weren't much different from takeoff speeds, and I remember seeing the drag chutes deployed just to get the things to stop. I don't know of anything in its day that could catch it (One avionics Air Force guy tells me that he doesn't think anything today would outrun it). With modification the thing might have made a good space vehicle. The "Starfighter" name might have been a hint.
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How do you dare calling her with such horrible nicknames! She's been the most beautiful piece of engineering I had the joy to share a thousand+ hours in the air with..! A real powerful, dashing lady of the sky! Unforgiving, but nonetheless marvellous! ❤ Thanks for the beautiful clips, though!
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My Great- uncle was a fighter pilot in the West German Airforce at that time and he flew the Starfighter. He unfortunately lost several friends to crashes and even he only barely survived one himself. He always lemented about how dangerous this plane was and that it should have never been adopted. However he admitted that no other plane he ever flew was this fast and had such an amazing acceleration
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Couldn't miss this one
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growing up in Germany in the 70's it was constantly in the news that another Starfighter had crushed pretty scary jet
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I appreciate your videos in a way similar to when I admire an old piece of equipments level of build quality which is my idea of fine art. I hope this makes sense.
