Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>F-104>HA1011
CF-104 Starfighter RCAF "701"
General Background
The F-104 Starfighter was an military aircraft with revolutionary designs. It had short razor-sharp wings and was the first aircraft to be able to maintain Mach 2 not just in short bursts. This extremely high speed earned the plane the nickname “The Missile With A Man In It”. Because of financial considerations 15 or more countries purchased the F-104. The Starfighter flew with the USAF in 1958 and the last airplane was decommissioned in Italy in 2004.
The Aircraft
The CF-104 was manufactured by the Canadair under the licence from Lockheed Martin. It entered service in 1962 and served for the RCAF and the CAF until replaced by the CF-18. Though basically similar to the F-104, the CF-104 was optimized for the nuclear strike/reconnaissance role.
Specifications :
| First Flight: | (XF-104) February 7, 1954 |
| Crew: | 1 pilot |
| Dimensions | |
| Height: | 13.50 ft (4.11 m) |
| Wingspan: | 21.92 ft (6.68 m) |
| Wing Area: | 196.1 ft2 (18.22 m2) |
| Length: | 54.75 ft (16.69 m) |
| Weight | |
| These aircraft were stripped of any military equipment in an effort to reduce weight | |
| Empty: | 14,082 lb (6,387 kg) |
| Max Takeoff: | 28,779 lb (13,054 kg) |
| Fuel Capacity: | Internal: 5,822 lb (2,641 kg) / External: 5,538 lb (2,512 kg) |
| Max Payload: | 4,310 lb (1,995 kg) |
| Propulsion | |
| Power plant: | 1 X General Electric J79-19 turbojet |
| Thrust: | 10,000 lb (44.5 kN) / 15,800 lb (70.28 kN) with afterburner |
| Performance | |
| Max Level Speed: | at altitude - 1,450 mph (2,335 km/h) at 36,000 ft (10,975 m), Mach 2.2 / at sea level - Mach 1.2 |
| Initial Climb Rate: | 50,000 ft (15,239 m)/min |
| Service Ceiling: | 58,000 ft (17,680 m) / 90,000 ft (27,430 m) zoom ceiling |
| Range: | typical - 260 nm (480 km) with max payload / ferry - 1,576 nm (2,920 km) |