Marcus Hanke
[PuristSPro Moderator]
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The "Widow Maker" was mostly a German problem ...
... since the Starfighter was transformed into something that it never was intended to be: What was designed as a super-sonic daylight interceptor with the task to attack enemy bombers at high altitude in a single, high speed pass, found itself in the role of an all-weather fighter-bomber at low and medium altitudes with nuclear capacity, in typically bad European weather.
Germany lost 300 of its 916 F-104, but the accident rate became better during the time of operation, due to increased quality controls. 116 pilots died in crashes. For many modern airforces, a drain like that would mean the complete annihilation.
Marcus
Air Force Pilots; their watches and clocks, Part 1
In keeping with my earlier threads on Navy SEALs, this series of posts contains stories from USAF Fighter Pilot / Captain / Rolex Owner Morris B. Parker III. (To us he's just Uncle Brownie): Here are a few of his tall tales, taken from his memoirs that I ...
Air Force Pilots; their watches and clocks, Part 2
COMBAT READY IN GERMANY The entire 49th Tactical Fighter Wing was relocated from France to Spangdahlem, Germany in the summer of 1959. Before we could “sit alert” at Spangdahlem, we had to be certified Combat Ready. This meant we needed to possess in-dept...
Air Force Pilots; their watches and clocks, Part 3
REFUELING Rotations to Europe, along with Temporary Duty Assignments to Alaska, required our pilots to fly long distances, far beyond the normal range of any fighter aircraft. When we were fitted with four external fuel tanks under our wings—our maximum l...
Air Force Pilots; their watches and clocks, Part 4
COMBAT IN VIET NAM Our group only had one sortie north of the DMZ. The target was about 75 miles north of Da Nang and about five miles inland from the Gulf. The intelligence officer showed us a picture taken by a photo reconnaissance plane. It was strange...
F-104 Lawn Dart
cazalea Thanks for the high angel tales. Your friend is lucky to survive the infamous Lawn Dart that is the Starfighter. Stubby wings and high wing-load, high stall speed and crazy landing speed, vibration prone nose wheel. Some air forces lost a quarter ...
The "Widow Maker" was mostly a German problem ...
... since the Starfighter was transformed into something that it never was intended to be: What was designed as a super-sonic daylight interceptor with the task to attack enemy bombers at high altitude in a single, high speed pass, found itself in the rol...
I asked Brownie about this last night
Thanks for the observations Marcus. They are consistent with what i have read. Capt Parker said that some forces (including the USA) put men in planes, in combat during WW II, with as few as 70 hours total flying experience! They certainly couldn't do tha...
When I was in Bahrain in the mid-'80s . . .
. . . a resident Jordanian lawyer I met at a party made a scathing comment about the Widow-maker. It was only later that it dawned on me he might've had a personal connection to one of the many Jordanian pilots who lost their lives flying the F-104. Wistf...
The leading edges were so sharp ...
... that on ground, thick protectors had to be mounted in order to prevent the ground crew from being hurt when hitting the edges. I love that plane, and still have three unbuilt model kits from 1/72 to 1/32 hidden in that infamous closet since a decade o...
Memo to myself: read posts first ...
... just saw that you mentioned this in your excellent writeup ... Marcus
Just build two; hold one in each hand, and whirl around in your room
like boys everywhere, having fun flying your models! NASA's beautiful "hot rodded" F-104 Cazalea ...
I've got decals for that one, I think! ...
... but I fear the modifications necessary are more than I want to do. Marcus
Wow this is very interesting!
I only read the first part. Will return to slowly read and appreciate the rest. Maybe I will end up hunting for a pilot watch even though I can never be a pilot! (I fear heights ... A lot !) Cheers Robin
Air Force Pilots; their watches and clocks, Part 5
Hello flight-loving PuristS, Here's a bit more about Capt. Brownie Parker's flying experiences in the USAF in the 1950's and 1960's: THE F-104 STARFIGHTER The F-104 Starfighter was designed by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, unarguably the most talented aeronau...
These guys are so cool. It was another era.
Going back for a more complete read. Thanks for the great contribution as always. Bill
What an amazing read !.. Love your topic & the tales from times, long gone.. Thx so much for these comprehensive posts !.. :))
PS: will come back & read the other parts, and then bookmark them ! Real reading pleasure ! Best, hs
Thank you all for reading and for responding - I'll try to find a few more
stories that justify another episode. Remembering the lives of those who went before us and those who are still with us is a worthwhile endeavor. Cazalea ...
Air Force Pilots; their watches and clocks, Part 6
Please rejoin me for a few more stories about flying an F-104 around Europe in the 1960's: HOW SLOWLY CAN YOU FLY? On two occasions we were involved in war games with the Navy’s Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. The Navy thought if they maintained rad...
The story about the "Tante Ju" bombing the 6th Fleet is hilarious! ...
... I think I need that book! Marcus