@ Pacific Aviation Museum, Ford Island, HI
August 2016
This Hawaiian Starfighter was moved inside since my last visit here. This was the first aircraft to achieve sustained Mach 2 flight and the first to hold speed and altitude records simultaneously, as well as the first to reach 100,000 feet. While the USAF only purchased 296 F-104s, improved F-104s sold very well overseas, serving as late as 2004. This F-104A (56-817) was ordered in 1956 and delivered to the Air Force in July 1958. It served as a chase plane at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB until 1972. In 1987, it moved to the Museum of Aviation at Robins AFB until May 2013, when it moved to Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor. This particular F-104 can be seen in episodes of “I Dream of Jeannie”. Nikon D500 w/18-200 mm, processed with Aurora HDR and Aperture.
