F-104 memory
Wayne ,
The POTW brought back some memories . I remember Going to an open house at the PDX Air Guard base to one of the first Northwest displays of a F-14 , they had been advertising on the radio for weeks , so my father who is as big an airplane nut as I am decided to come with me .
As we were walking down to the flightline scattered among all the aircraft was something with a t-tail that I couldn't identify from so far away . The closer we got my Dad said "That looks like a 104?" I agreed but said we hadn't flown them in the states for years so it couldn't be .WHen we got close enough to see through the crowd , Oh my god it is a 104 !!, in my eyes the sexyist, the fastest, most beautiful jet aircraft ever built.
Turns out it was a TF-104 out of Luke AIr Force base where the German pilots were getting some training at the time .
AT the end of the day when the Tomcat left they did a couple of high G passes around the field and then a vertical climb to altitude to leave. I aske the 104 pilot if he was going to let the Navy show him up . He said we have our travel pod on board so we're limited to what we can do but we will do something. Truns out it was a fullpower take off into a spectacular vertical climb to altitude , not bad for an "old single engine jet"
a day I will never forget
The POTW brought back some memories . I remember Going to an open house at the PDX Air Guard base to one of the first Northwest displays of a F-14 , they had been advertising on the radio for weeks , so my father who is as big an airplane nut as I am decided to come with me .
As we were walking down to the flightline scattered among all the aircraft was something with a t-tail that I couldn't identify from so far away . The closer we got my Dad said "That looks like a 104?" I agreed but said we hadn't flown them in the states for years so it couldn't be .WHen we got close enough to see through the crowd , Oh my god it is a 104 !!, in my eyes the sexyist, the fastest, most beautiful jet aircraft ever built.
Turns out it was a TF-104 out of Luke AIr Force base where the German pilots were getting some training at the time .
AT the end of the day when the Tomcat left they did a couple of high G passes around the field and then a vertical climb to altitude to leave. I aske the 104 pilot if he was going to let the Navy show him up . He said we have our travel pod on board so we're limited to what we can do but we will do something. Truns out it was a fullpower take off into a spectacular vertical climb to altitude , not bad for an "old single engine jet"
a day I will never forget