Why is the F-104 bad?

Second, since the Luftwaffe Starfighters’ had to perform the low-level high-speed attack mission and in those kind of sorties the aircraft was very sensitive to control-input and extremely unforgiving to pilot error. The result was a horrific number of accidents.

Is the F-104 bad?

The issues were in two areas. First, the speeds that the F-104 had to fly for approach and landing very high – much higher than the earlier jets – and went very fast, especially for an inexperienced pilot flying in seriously bad weather. In fact 61 German F-104s had crashed, with a loss of 35 pilots by mid-1966.

When did the 104 come out?

4 March 1954
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

Was the F-104 A good aircraft?

The F-104 had good acceleration, rate of climb, and top speed, but its sustained turn performance was poor.

Who was the pilot of the F-104 Starfighter?

James C. Parham, Jr., who flew the Starfighter as a member of the South Carolina Air National Guard recalled in fact that “Although limited in range with two Sidewinders and no drop tanks, the F-104 was the quintessential high altitude interceptor. The pilots had a love affair with the F-104.

Is the F-104 still in the Air Force?

Moreover the short range and the limited weapons-carrying, worked against the F-104 which remained in active service with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) only for a short period of time.

Why was the Lockheed F-104 called The Widowmaker?

The Starfighter was called the “missile with a man in it”, a name swiftly trademarked by Lockheed for marketing purposes, and the press coined the F-104 the Widowmaker due to its high accident rate, but neither were used in service. The term Super Starfighter was used by Lockheed to describe the F-104G in marketing campaigns,…

What kind of aircraft was the Lockheed Starfighter?

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, supersonic interceptor aircraft which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War.