INTO THE THIN AIR: F-104 Starfighter World Altitude Records
INTO THE THIN AIR: F-104 Starfighter World Altitude Records
By Stephen Chapis
When Lockheed Skunk Works unveiled the XF-104 in 1954, it possessed out of this world looks and performance. In 1958, just months after the F-104A entered service with Air Defense Command (ADC) Lockheed and the Pentagon decided to prove the latter by making a series a series of world record flights. In this article, the first of two-parts, we will hear first-hand accounts from three pilots that flew their Starfighters into the deadly upper reaches of the stratosphere.
MAY 7, 1958- WORLD ALTITUDE RECORD