March 2018
Right outside the West Gate of the fabled Edwards AFB is a display of aircraft called the Century Circle, aircraft that were tested here. The XF-104 made its first flight here in 1954, a YF-104A set a world speed record (1,404 mph) here in 1958, and a F-104C set an altitude record (103,395) here in 1959. The F-104 was the first aircraft to achieve sustained Mach 2 flight. While the USAF only purchased 296 F-104s, over 2,000 F-104s were sold overseas, serving as late as 2004. Nikon D500 w/18-200mm.