F-104 'Starfighter"

First flown in 1956, the revolutionary F-104 shattered all previous aviation records, becoming the first production aircraft to exceed twice the speed of sound (Mach 2) in level flight, and the first to exceed more than 100,000 feet in altitude. Starting in 1958, Lockheed built nearly 300 for the U.S. Air Force, and nearly 2,300 more for fifteen NATO countries. Because of the aircraft’s extraordinary performance, NASA also maintained a small fleet of “Starfighters” for extreme regime flight testing. The F-104 would continue to fly for the U.S. until 1975, but for many NATO countries, the “Starfighter” would continue to serve as a front-line fighter until 2004.

Tom Stafford would spend many hours flying the F-104 as a “Starfighter” instructor, often in the same angle as the aircraft is exhibited.The specific F-104 on display (S/N 56-932) has a great history. In 1961, it was sent to Germany by President Kennedy during the “Berlin Crisis” when the city was being divided by the construction of the Berlin Wall that brought the “Cold War” to the edge of World War III. Later, #932 would become an actual “war-bird.” in 1965 it was one of only 29 F-104s sent to Vietnam, where it would fly more than fifty missions. (Actual Aircraft)