The extreme shape of the Starfighter earned it the first nickname of "The Missile With a
Man in it" and some USAF pilots also called it “Zipper” or “Zipper 104” because of it’s
tremendous speed. After it proved to be challenging to fly, with high fatal accident rates,
particularly in German service the plane was given many more nicknames because of its
high speed and ability to occassionally fly itself into the ground. In Germany they referred
to it as Witwenmacher ("widowmaker"), fliegender Sarg ("flying coffin") or Erdnagel
("ground nail", the official military term for a tent peg). Others were, Pakistan Badmash
“Hooligan”, Italy because of it’s spiked nose Spillone “Hatpin” and bara volante “Flying
Coffin”, Canada “Lawn Dart”.
Primarily powered by a single 15 800 lb thrust General Electric J79-GE11A turbojet
engine, equipped with afterburner, it was capable of high speeds (just under 1300 mph)
and high rates of climb. On December 14, 1959, an F-104C set a world altitude record of
103,395 ft (31.5 km). The Starfighter was the first aircraft to hold simultaneous official
world records for speed, altitude, and time-to-climb.

From 1964 until 1983 the West German Air Force trained their F-104 pilots at Luke AFB
in Arizona. Originally the USAF 4510th Combat Crew Training Wing was assigned the
task before being re-designated the 58th TTW. The German pilots trained using German
F-104s with U.S. serials and markings. The 418th TFTS operated as part of the 58th
TTW from October 1969 until 15 August 1976 when it was disbanded. Early in 1976 one
F-104 was given a special paint scheme to commemorate the USA Bicentennial.

Specifications for the F-104G / TF-104G

F-104G
Role – all-weather multi-role fighter-bomber
Production - 1,122
Crew – 1

TF-104G
Role - combat-capable trainer version of F-104G
Production - 220
Crew – 2

NORMAL PERFORMANCE
Engine – 1 x General Electric J-79 of 15,600 lbs. thrust with afterburner
Increased Internal Fuel Capacity
Maximum speed - 1,320 mph
Cruising Speed - 575 mph
Combat Radius – 420 mi
Ferry Range – 1,630 mi
Service Ceiling - 58,000 ft
Rate Of Climb – 48,000 ft/min

Dimensions
Span - 21 ft. 11 in
Length - 54 ft. 10 in
Height - 13 ft. 6 in

Weight
Empty – 14,000 lbs
Loaded – 20,640 lbs
Maximum Takeoff - 29,027 lbs

Armament
F-104G
1 x M-61 20mm M61 Vulcan 6-barrel cannon
Hardpoints -
7 x capable of carrying a maximum 4,000 lbs of stores
Located -
2 x wing-tip launch rails for AIM-9 Sidewinder or similar missiles
4 x 2 under each wing
1 x under-fuselage center-line pylon

TF-104G
No cannon or centerline pylon
Reduced internal fuel

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