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145-683: The Canadair CF-104 Starfighter ( CF-111 , CL-90 ) is a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence. It was primarily used as a ground attack aircraft, despite being designed as an interceptor. It served with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and later the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) until it was replaced by

290-678: A fighter-bomber during the Cold War . Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the " Century Series " of fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF), it was developed into an all-weather multirole aircraft in the early 1960s and produced by several other nations, seeing widespread service outside the United States. After a series of interviews with Korean War fighter pilots in 1951, Kelly Johnson , then lead designer at Lockheed, opted to reverse

435-632: A major non-NATO ally , received under the Mutual Assistance Program 14 Starfighters (twelve model F-104A and two dual-seat model F-104B). These were fitted with C-2 upward firing ejection seats , AN/ASG-14T1 fire control systems , more powerful General Electric J79-11A engines and the M-61 Vulcans were also re-fitted on PAF 's request. Moreover, an F-104B was modified by the PAF to carry Swedish TA-7M reconnaissance cameras in

580-446: A 1957 German Air Staff Paper asking for a single aircraft to fulfill its fighter, fighter-bomber, and reconnaissance mission requirements, Lockheed redesigned the entire airframe, including 96 new forgings, additional skin panels, and reinforced landing gear with larger tires and improved brakes. The proposed F-104G (for Germany) "Super Starfighter" featured a more powerful J79-11A engine, a larger tail with powered rudder (the same used on

725-588: A 7- g turn below 5,000 feet with full afterburner. Given the aircraft's prodigious fuel consumption at that altitude and relatively small fuel capacity, such a maneuver would dramatically reduce its time on station. The F-104 was designed to use the General Electric J79 turbojet engine, fed by side-mounted intakes with fixed inlet cones optimized for performance at Mach  1.7 (increased to Mach 2 for later F-104s equipped with more powerful J79-GE-19 engines). Unlike some supersonic aircraft,

870-625: A General Electric J79 engine, modified landing gear, and modified air intakes. The YF-104A and subsequent models were 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) longer than the XF-104 to accommodate the larger GE J79 engine. The YF-104 initially flew with the GE XJ79-GE-3 turbojet which generated 9,300 pounds of dry thrust (14,800 with afterburner), which was later replaced by the J79-GE-3A with an improved afterburner. Seventeen YF-104As were ordered by

1015-888: A better insight into bird migration behavior, which has had an influence on averting collisions with birds, and therefore on flight safety. Since the implementation of the ROBIN system at the RNLAF, the number of collisions between birds and aircraft in the vicinity of military airbases has decreased by more than 50%. There are no civil aviation counterparts to the above military strategies. Some experimentation with small portable radar units has taken place at some airports, but no standard has been adopted for radar warning nor has any governmental policy regarding warnings been implemented. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates bird strikes cost US aviation 400 million dollars annually and have resulted in over 200 worldwide deaths since 1988. In

1160-585: A bird carcass from a gas cannon and sabot system into the tested unit. The carcass was soon replaced with suitable density blocks, often gelatin , to ease testing. Current certification efforts are mainly conducted with limited testing, supported by more detailed analysis using computer simulation , although final testing usually involves some physical experiments (see birdstrike simulator ). Based on US National Transportation Safety Board recommendations following US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009, EASA proposed in 2017 that engines should also be capable of sustaining

1305-651: A bird strike in descent . During descent, turbofans turn more slowly than during takeoff and climb . This proposal was echoed a year later by the FAA; new regulations could apply for the Boeing NMA engines. Though there are many methods available to wildlife managers at airports, no single method will work in all instances and with all species. Wildlife management in the airport environment can be grouped into two broad categories: non-lethal and lethal. Integration of multiple non-lethal methods with lethal methods results in

1450-827: A ceasefire was agreed on 6 October, the Starfighter provided a significant deterrent effect. USAF Gen Laurence Kuter , commander-in-chief of the Pacific Air Forces , reported that the F-104A had "made a tremendous impression on both sides of the Taiwan Strait". During the Berlin Crisis of 1961, President John F. Kennedy ordered 148,000 United States National Guard and reserve personnel to active duty on 30 August, in response to Soviet moves to cut off Allied access to Berlin. 21,067 individuals were from

1595-629: A central coordination office named NASMO (NATO Starfighter Management Office) in Koblenz, Germany , which succeeded in achieving a high level of standardization and cooperation. This was evidenced by an F-104G being assembled in April 1963 at Erding Air Base in Germany consisting of components constructed in all four European partner countries. However, this central coordination resulted in long delays in implementing needed modifications and upgrades. Some of

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1740-512: A competition between squadrons from Belgium, France, Germany, the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands. Scores were based on several factors. Bomb accuracy, time on target, navigation, mission planning and aircraft serviceability. Pilots were chosen at random from the various squadrons to accurately represent operational capabilities. biennial schedule. A competition for Recce squadrons. The Canadians first took part in 1966 and managed

1885-424: A danger response from wildlife. As wildlife become habituated to non-lethal methods the culling of small numbers of wildlife in the presence of conspecifics can restore the danger response. Under certain circumstances, lethal wildlife control is needed to control the population of a species. This control can be localized or regional. Localized population control is often used to control species that are residents of

2030-647: A deterrent to Chinese MiG-15 and MiG-17 fighters. Problems with the General Electric J79 engine and a preference for fighters with longer ranges and heavier payloads meant its service with the USAF was short-lived, though it was reactivated for service during the Berlin Crisis of 1961 and the Vietnam War , when it flew more than 5,000 combat sorties. While its time with the USAF was brief,

2175-628: A development contract on 12 March 1953 for two prototypes ; these were given the designation " XF-104 ". Work progressed quickly, with a mock-up ready for inspection at the end of April, and work starting on two prototypes soon after. Meanwhile, the J79 engine was not ready. Both prototypes were instead built to use the Wright J65 engine, a license-constructed version of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire . The first prototype

2320-500: A height of 15 metres (49 ft). However, according to the FAA only 15% of strikes (ICAO 11%) actually result in damage to the aircraft. Bird strikes can damage vehicle components, or injure passengers. Flocks of birds are especially dangerous and can lead to multiple strikes, with corresponding damage. Depending on the damage, aircraft at low altitudes or during take-off and landing often cannot recover in time. US Airways Flight 1549

2465-399: A hop into the air during taxi trials on 28 February 1954 and flew about five feet (1.5 m) off the ground for a short distance, but this was not counted as a first flight. On 4 March, Lockheed test pilot Tony LeVier flew the XF-104 for its first official flight. He was airborne for only 21 minutes , much shorter than planned, due to landing gear retraction problems. The second prototype

2610-453: A number of accidents with human casualties. There are over 13,000 bird strikes annually in the US alone. However, the number of major accidents involving civil aircraft is quite low and it has been estimated that there is only about one accident resulting in human death in one billion (10 ) flying hours. The majority of bird strikes (65%) cause little damage to the aircraft; however, the collision

2755-680: A result, the USAF reduced their orders of the F-104A from 722 to 170, and the F-104A and F-104B aircraft of the 83rd, 56th and 337th FIS were handed over to the 151st , 157th and 197th FIS of the Air National Guard (ANG) after less than a year of service with the ADC. In August 1958, only a few months after establishing operational readiness with the F-104, the 83rd FIS was assigned to an air defense and deterrence mission in Taiwan after

2900-407: A single assembly line. The entire aircraft was designed for modular assembly and disassembly. The two principal fuselage sections were split along the vertical centerline and completely assembled in two separate halves. All equipment, including wiring and plumbing, was installed inside the two halves before being joined. The wings were then attached with ten bolts plus a fairing . Although the F-104

3045-433: A small frontal area. The tightly packed fuselage contained the radar, cockpit, cannon, fuel, landing gear, and engine. The fuselage and wing combination provided low drag except at high angle of attack (alpha), at which point induced drag became very high. The F-104 had good acceleration, rate of climb, and top speed, but its sustained turn performance was poor. A "clean" (no external weapons or fuel tanks) F-104 could sustain

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3190-595: A strobe sweep between 300 and 3,000 yards (270 and 2,740 m) in auto-acquisition mode. The radar also had a third, receive-only mode useful for locking onto sources of interference from electronic countermeasures (ECM). In the late 1960s, Lockheed developed a more advanced version of the Starfighter, the F-104S, for use by the Italian Air Force. Similarly to the F-104G, Lockheed produced two main variants of

3335-524: A supersonic interceptor aircraft , it was used primarily for low-level strike and reconnaissance by the RCAF. Eight CF-104 squadrons were originally stationed in Europe as part of Canada's NATO commitment. This was reduced to six in 1967, with a further reduction to three squadrons in 1970. Up to 1971, this included a nuclear strike role that would see Canadian aircraft armed with US-supplied nuclear weapons in

3480-876: A very short time to habituation. The risks of lasers to aircrews must be evaluated when determining whether or not to deploy lasers on airfields. Southampton Airport utilizes a laser device which disables the laser past a certain elevation , eliminating the risk of the beam being shone directly at aircraft and air traffic control tower. Auditory repellents are commonly used in both agricultural and aviation contexts. Devices such as propane exploders (cannons), pyrotechnics, and bioacoustics are frequently deployed on airports. Propane exploders are capable of creating noises of approximately 130 decibels. They can be programmed to fire at designated intervals, can be remote controlled, or motion activated. Due to their stationary and often predictable nature, wildlife quickly becomes habituated to propane cannons. Lethal control may be used to extend

3625-967: A way that reduces its attractiveness to other wildlife such as small rodents and raptors. It has been recommended that turfgrass be maintained at a height of 7–14 inches through regular mowing and fertilization. Wetlands are another major attractant of wildlife in the airport environment. They are of particular concern because they attract waterfowl, which have a high potential to damage aircraft. With large areas of impervious surfaces, airports must employ methods to collect runoff and reduce its flow velocity. These best management practices often involve temporarily ponding runoff. Short of redesigning existing runoff control systems to include non-accessible water such as subsurface flow wetlands, frequent drawdowns and covering of exposed water with floating covers and wire grids should be employed. The implementation of covers and wire grids must not hinder emergency services. Though excluding birds (and flying animals in general) from

3770-401: A wing-on- rudder application, rolling the aircraft in the opposite direction of rudder input. To offset this effect, the wings were canted downward at a 10° negative-dihedral (anhedral) angle. This downward canting also improved roll control during high-G maneuvers, common in air-to-air combat. The fuselage had a high fineness ratio . It was slender, tapered towards the sharp nose, and had

3915-412: Is rabbits : they get run over by ground vehicles and planes, and they pass large amounts of droppings, which attract mice, which in turn attract owls , which then become another birdstrike hazard. There are three approaches to reduce the effect of bird strikes. The vehicles can be designed to be more bird-resistant, the birds can be moved out of the way of the vehicle, or the vehicle can be moved out of

4060-615: Is a classic example of this. The engines on the Airbus A320 used on that flight were torn apart by multiple bird strikes at low altitude. There was no time to make a safe landing at an airport, forcing a water landing in the Hudson River . Remains of the bird, termed snarge , are sent to identification centers where forensic techniques may be used to identify the species involved. These samples need to be taken carefully by trained personnel to ensure proper analysis and reduce

4205-435: Is a primary repellent that produces an immediate unpleasant sensation that is reflexive and does not have to be learned. As such it is most effective for transient populations of birds. Methyl anthranilate has been used with great success at rapidly dispersing birds from flight lines at Homestead Air Reserve Station . Anthraquinone is a secondary repellent that has a laxative effect that is not instantaneous. Because of this it

4350-608: Is most effective on resident populations of wildlife that will have time to learn an aversive response. Relocation of raptors from airports is often considered preferable to lethal control methods by both biologists and the public. There are complex legal issues surrounding the capture and relocation of species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940. Prior to capture, proper permits must be obtained and

4495-641: Is now an integral part of military low-level mission planning, with aircrew being able to access the current bird hazard conditions at a dedicated website. AHAS will provide relative risk assessments for the planned mission and give aircrew the opportunity to select a less hazardous route should the planned route be rated severe or moderate. Prior to 2003, the USAF BASH Team bird strike database indicated that approximately 25% of all strikes were associated with low-level routes and bombing ranges . More importantly, these strikes accounted for more than 50% of all of

Canadair CF-104 Starfighter - Misplaced Pages Continue

4640-835: Is often deployed across the superstructure of a hangar denying access to the rafters where the birds roost and nest while still allowing the hangar doors to remain open for ventilation and aircraft movements. Strip curtains and door netting may also be used but are subject to improper use (e.g. tying the strips to the side of the door) by those working in the hangar. There have been a variety of visual repellent and harassment techniques used in airport wildlife management. They include using birds of prey and dogs, effigies, landing lights , and lasers. Birds of prey have been used with great effectiveness at landfills where there were large populations of feeding gulls. Dogs have also been used with success as visual deterrents and means of harassment for birds at airfields. Airport wildlife managers must consider

4785-815: Is on display in the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan . During the second deployment, an additional nine aircraft were lost for a total of 14 F-104s lost to all causes in Vietnam. In July 1967, the Starfighter units transitioned to the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II . In 1967, these TAC aircraft were transferred to the Air National Guard. By the late 1950s, USAF fighter doctrine had shifted away from air superiority (fighter against fighter combat) and placed more importance on

4930-475: Is quoted "Because of our speed, size and lower level operations, no Canadian Zipper driver was ever 'shot down' by either air or ground threats in the three Red Flag Exercises in which we participated." The CF-104 was very successful in operational exercises held by NATO. The Canadians first took part in the AFCENT Tactical Weapons meet in 1964 and did so every year after that. This meet was

5075-416: Is the relative velocity (the difference of the velocities of the bird and the plane, resulting in a lower absolute value if they are flying in the same direction and higher absolute value if they are flying in opposite directions). Therefore, the speed of the aircraft is much more important than the size of the bird when it comes to reducing energy transfer in a collision. The same can be said for jet engines:

5220-448: Is turfgrass. This grass is planted to reduce runoff, control erosion, absorb jet wash, allow passage of emergency vehicles, and to be aesthetically pleasing. However, turfgrass is a preferred food source for species of birds that pose a serious risk to aircraft, chiefly the Canada goose ( Branta canadensis ). Turfgrass planted at airports should be a species that geese do not prefer (e.g. St. Augustine grass ) and should be managed in such

5365-407: Is usually fatal to the bird(s) involved. Vultures and geese have been ranked the second and third most hazardous kinds of wildlife to aircraft in the United States, after deer, with approximately 240 goose–aircraft collisions in the United States each year. 80% of all bird strikes go unreported. Most accidents occur when a bird (or group of birds) collides with the windscreen or is sucked into

5510-418: The 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron 's first deployment from October to December 1965. Starfighters returned to Vietnam when the 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron re-deployed from June 1966 until August 1967. During this time F-104s flew a further 2,269 combat sorties, for a total of 5,206. F-104s operating in Vietnam were upgraded in service with AN/APR-25/26 radar warning receiver equipment. One such example

5655-492: The AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles were never carried operationally by Canadian Starfighters (however, examples provided to other air forces, such as Norway and Denmark, did carry Sidewinders on a twin-rail centreline station and the wingtip rails). The CF-104D two-seater did not normally carry any armament except for a centreline practice-bomb dispenser. There were 110 class A accidents in the 25 years that Canada operated

5800-725: The Blackburn Buccaneer , Dassault Mirage IIIC , Fiat G.91 , Grumman Super Tiger , Lockheed F-104G Starfighter , Northrop N-156 and the Republic F-105 Thunderchief . Although the RCAF had preferred the F-105 Thunderchief equipped with an Avro Canada Orenda Iroquois engine, eventually the choice for a strike-reconnaissance aircraft revolved around cost as well as capability. A Canadian government requirement for an aircraft that could be manufactured in Canada under licence also favoured

5945-508: The Federal Aviation Administration counted 177,269 wildlife strike reports on civil aircraft between 1990 and 2015, growing 38% in seven years from 2009 to 2015. Birds accounted for 97%. Bird strikes happen most often during takeoff or landing , or during low altitude flight. However, bird strikes have also been reported at high altitudes, some as high as 6,000 to 9,000 m (20,000 to 30,000 ft) above

Canadair CF-104 Starfighter - Misplaced Pages Continue

6090-685: The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet in 1987. In the late 1950s, Canada redefined its role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with a commitment to a nuclear strike mission. At the same time, the RCAF began to consider a replacement for the Canadair F-86 Sabre series that had been utilized as a NATO day fighter . An international fighter competition involved current types in service as well as development, including

6235-678: The MiG-15 with North American F-86 Sabres , and many felt that the MiGs were superior to the larger and more complex American fighters. The pilots requested a small and simple aircraft with excellent performance, especially high-speed and high-altitude capabilities. Johnson started the design of such an aircraft upon his return to the United States. In March 1952, his team was assembled; they studied over 100 aircraft configurations, ranging from small designs at just 8,000 lb (3,600 kg), to large ones up to 50,000 lb (23,000 kg). To achieve

6380-513: The People's Republic of China began an intense artillery campaign against the Republic of China (ROC) on the disputed islands of Quemoy and Matsu . Tension between the two forces was high; artillery duels were ongoing since the first crisis in 1954 and the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) had recently relocated 200 MiG-15s and MiG-17s to airfields on the mainland to fight against

6525-517: The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF). According to Colonel Howard "Scrappy" Johnson, one of the F-104 pilots deployed to Taiwan, the Starfighters' presence was so the PLAAF would "track them on their radar screens ... and sit back and scratch their head in awe." On 10 September, the first F-104s arrived in Taiwan, delivered disassembled by C-124 Globemaster II transport aircraft. This

6670-506: The "Aluminium Death Tube", "The Lawn Dart" and "The Flying Phallus" but generally called it the 104 (one oh four) or the Starfighter. Low level attack runs in the CF-104 were done visually at 100 feet AGL and at speeds up to 600 km. Low level evasive maneuvers could increase speeds to supersonic . The aircraft was very difficult to attack owing to its small size, speed, and low altitude capability. Dave Jurkowski, former CF-104 and CF-18 pilot

6815-399: The 151st FIS and 157th FIS. As with the Taiwan crisis three years earlier, the Starfighter did not directly engage any enemy fighters, but its presence provided a powerful air-superiority deterrent; it demonstrated very quick reaction times and exemplary acceleration during practice intercepts, and proved superior to all other fighters in the theater . The crisis ended in the summer of 1962 and

6960-527: The 37 fatalities, four were clearly attributable to systems failures; all of the others were attributable to some form of pilot inattention. The accident rate of the CF-104 compares favourably to its predecessor, the F-86 Sabre. In only 12 years of operation the F-86 had 282 class A accidents with a loss of 112 pilots. The Sabre was also a simpler aircraft and was normally flown at higher altitude. The CF-104

7105-453: The ANG personnel returned to the United States, but the F-104's solid performance helped convince the ADC to recall some F-104s back into active USAF service the following year. The F-104C entered service with USAF Tactical Air Command (TAC) as a multi-role fighter and fighter-bomber . The 479th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) at George AFB , California, was the first unit to be equipped with

7250-513: The ANG, forming 18 fighter squadrons, four reconnaissance squadrons, six transport squadrons, and a tactical control group. On 1 November 1961, the USAF mobilized three more ANG fighter interceptor squadrons. In late October and early November, eight of the tactical fighter units flew to Europe with their 216 aircraft in Operation Stair Step . Because of their short range, 60 F-104As were airlifted to Europe in late November, among them

7395-531: The Air Force, who pressed the F-104A into service as an interim interceptor with the Air Defense Command (ADC), even though its range and armament were not well-suited for the role. On 26 February 1958, the first unit to become operational with the F-104A was the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS) at Hamilton AFB , California. The newly operational aircraft experienced problems with both

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7540-464: The American supply line against potential Soviet-supplied Cuban MiGs. Twelve F-104s were sent to Puerto Rico, where they remained until 3 June 1965. The F-104's service with the USAF was quickly wound down after the aircraft's second deployment to southeast Asia in 1967. Although the remaining F-104As in regular USAF service had been recently fitted with more powerful and reliable J79-GE-19 engines,

7685-473: The American-Swiss singer Tina Turner were more effective than animal noises for scaring birds from its runways. Sharpened spikes to deter perching and loafing are commonly used. Generally, large birds require different applications than small birds do. There are only two chemical bird repellents registered for use in the United States, methyl anthranilate and anthraquinone . Methyl anthranilate

7830-502: The BLCS engaged, as flaps in the "land" position were required for its operation. Landing without the BLCS engaged was only done in emergencies and could be a harrowing experience, especially at night. The stabilator (fully moving horizontal stabilizer) was mounted atop the fin to reduce inertia coupling . Because the vertical fin was only slightly shorter than the length of each wing and nearly as aerodynamically effective, it could act as

7975-751: The Bird Avoidance Model (BAM) to predict soaring bird activity within the next 24 hours and then defaults to the BAM for planning purposes when activity is scheduled outside the 24-hour window. The BAM is a static historical hazard model based on many years of bird distribution data from the Christmas Bird Count , the Breeding Bird Survey , and National Wildlife Refuge data. The BAM also incorporates potentially hazardous bird attractions such as landfills and golf courses. AHAS

8120-448: The CF-104 resulting in 37 pilot fatalities. Most of these were in the early part of the program centring on teething problems. Of the 110 class A accidents, 21 were attributed to foreign object damage (14 of which were bird strikes ), 14 were due to in-flight engine failures, six were as a result of faulty maintenance and nine involved mid-air collisions. Thirty-two aircraft struck the ground flying at low level in poor weather conditions. Of

8265-474: The Canadian Forces by 1987, with most of the remaining aircraft given to Turkey. General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Lockheed F-104 Starfighter The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic interceptor which was extensively deployed as

8410-400: The F-104 did not have variable-geometry inlets; instead at high Mach numbers excess air was bypassed around the engine. This bypass air also helped cool the engine. Its thrust-to-drag ratio was excellent, allowing a maximum speed well in excess of Mach 2. Available thrust was actually limited by the geometry of the inlet scoop and duct; the aircraft was capable of even higher Mach numbers if

8555-408: The F-104's performance, and the 479th TFW's pilots felt that the MiGs deliberately avoided engaging them. Twenty-five MiG kills were scored by fighters controlled by EC-121 Big Eye missions, and their Starfighter escorts played a vital role in ensuring their safety. From the first F-104 deployment in April 1965 to December, Starfighters flew a total of 2,937 combat sorties. These sorties resulted in

8700-941: The F-104G under license. Arbeitsgemeinschaft (ARGE) South consisted of Messerschmitt , Heinkel , Dornier , and Siebel ; ARGE North comprised Hamburger Flugzeugbau , Focke-Wulf , and Weserflug in Germany, as well as Fokker and Aviolanda in the Netherlands; the West Group was made of SABCA and Avions Fairey in Belgium; and the Italian Group was formed of Fiat , Macchi , Piaggio , SACA , and SIAI-Marchetti . The four groups were contracted to manufacture 210, 350, 189, and 200 F-104G aircraft, respectively. In addition, 1,225 J79 turbojets were also produced under license by BMW in Germany, Fabrique Nationale in Belgium, and Alfa Romeo in Italy. Canada, who had also chosen

8845-567: The F-104S: an all-weather interceptor ( caccia intercettore , CI) and a strike aircraft ( caccia bombardiere , CB). The CI variant received a FIAR/NASARR F15G radar with AIM-7 Sparrow guidance capability; however, the new missile-guidance avionics came at the expense of the M61A1 Vulcan cannon, which was removed to make room. The CB variant was equipped with a FIAR/NASARR R21G-H radar and a radar altimeter for low-level strike missions, retaining

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8990-424: The FAA wildlife hazard management manual for 2005, less than 8% of strikes occur above 900 m (3,000 ft) and 61% occur at less than 30 m (98 ft). The point of impact is usually any forward-facing edge of the vehicle such as a wing leading edge, nose cone, jet engine cowling or engine inlet. Jet engine ingestion is extremely serious due to the rotation speed of the engine fan and engine design. As

9135-474: The J79 engine and M61 cannon, and after three months of service, the unit was grounded following a series of engine-related accidents. The aircraft were then fitted with the J79-GE-3B engine and another three ADC units were equipped with the F-104A. During this time, the Air Force's interest in the Starfighter was waning due to a shift in strategy toward fighters with longer ranges and heavier ordnance loads. As

9280-486: The J79, the J79-GE-19, was rated at 52.8 kN (11,900 lb f ) dry thrust and 79.6 kN (17,900 lb f ) with afterburner. Bleed air from the compressor's 17th stage was used for a number of purposes: the BLCS, cabin pressurization and air conditioning, hot-air jet rain removal, fuel transfer, canopy and windshield defogging and defrosting, pressure for the pilot's anti-G suit, pressurization and cooling of

9425-771: The Jordanian pilots, Major Ihsan Shurdom, later rose to command the RJAF. The Starfighter served with the Pakistan Air Force from 1961 until 1972 when lack of spare parts due to post-war US sanctions led to an early retirement. During the Rann of Kutch crisis in April 1965, a detachment of 2 Griffin F-104s was deployed at Mauripur Base under the command of Squadron Leader Middlecoat . Bird strike A significant threat to flight safety, bird strikes have caused

9570-586: The Lockheed proposal, due to a collaboration with Canadair based in Montreal . On 14 August 1959, Canadair was selected to manufacture 200 aircraft for the RCAF under licence from Lockheed. In addition, Canadair was contracted to manufacture wingsets, tail assemblies and rear fuselage sections for 66 Lockheed-built F-104Gs destined for the West German Air Force . Canadair's internal designation

9715-421: The Starfighter found much more lasting success with other NATO and allied nations. In October 1958, West Germany selected the F-104 as its primary fighter aircraft. Canada soon followed, along with the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, and Italy. The European nations formed a construction consortium that was the largest international manufacturing program in history to that point, though the Starfighter's export success

9860-497: The Starfighter to fulfill its NATO obligations, delivered 121 sets of wings, aft fuselages, and tail assemblies built by Canadair to Europe while it constructed 200 CF-104s with Orenda -built engines for the Royal Canadian Air Force . Later the two would also build an additional 110 MAP-funded F-104Gs destined for Europe. Lockheed for its part built 191 two-seat trainers for both Europe and Canada, as well as supplying spares and technical support. The multinational consortium formed

10005-462: The USAF on 30 March 1955 for further flight testing. The first of them flew on 17 February 1956 and, with the other 16 trial aircraft, was soon carrying out aircraft and equipment evaluation and tests. On 1 May 1957 one of the prototypes was destroyed when the ailerons malfunctioned, resulting in the aircraft tumbling wildly. The pilot ejected safely. Lockheed made several improvements to the YF-104A throughout this testing period, including strengthening

10150-421: The United Kingdom, the Central Science Laboratory estimated that worldwide, birdstrikes cost airlines around US$ 1.2 billion annually. This includes repair cost and lost revenue while the damaged aircraft is out of service. In 2003, there were 4,300 bird strikes listed by the United States Air Force and 5,900 by US civil aircraft. The first reported bird strike was by Orville Wright in 1905. According to

10295-425: The Wright brothers' diaries, "Orville [...] flew 4,751 meters in 4 minutes 45 seconds, four complete circles. Twice passed over the fence into Beard's cornfield. Chased flock of birds for two rounds and killed one which fell on top of the upper surface and after a time fell off when swinging a sharp curve." During the 1911 Paris to Madrid air race , French pilot Eugène Gilbert encountered an angry mother eagle over

10440-570: The XF-104 first flew in 1954. At the April 1956 public unveiling of the YF-104A , the engine inlets were obscured with metal covers. Visible weapons, including the M61 Vulcan cannon, were also hidden. Despite the secrecy, an artist's rendering of the yet-unseen F-104 appeared in the September 1954 edition of Popular Mechanics that was very close to the actual design. The prototype made

10585-487: The ailerons were limited to 1-inch (25 mm) thickness to fit. The small, highly loaded wing caused an unacceptably high landing speed, even after adding both leading- and trailing-edge flaps . Thus, designers developed a boundary layer control system, or BLCS, of high-pressure bleed air , which was blown over the trailing-edge flaps to lower landing speeds by more than 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), and help make landing safer. Flapless landings would be without

10730-1138: The aircraft (including the flight deck windshields). Per the FAA's 14 CFR § 25.631, they must also withstand one 8 lb (3.6 kg) bird impact anywhere on the empennage . Flight deck windows on jet aircraft must be able to withstand one 4 lb (1.8 kg) bird collision without yielding or spalling . For the empennage, this is usually accomplished by designing redundant structures and protected locations for control system elements or protective devices such as splitter plates or energy-absorbing material. Often, one aircraft manufacturer will use similar protective design features for all of its aircraft models, to minimize testing and certification costs. Transport Canada also pays particular attention to these requirements during aircraft certification, considering there are many documented cases in North America of bird strikes with large Canada geese which weigh approximately 8 lb (3.6 kg) on average, and can sometimes weigh as much as 14.3 lb (6.5 kg). At first, bird strike testing by manufacturers involved firing

10875-424: The aircraft to fly nose up, helping to minimize drag . As a result, the pitot tube , air inlet scoops, and engine thrust line were all canted slightly from centerline of the fuselage. The F-104 featured a radical wing design. Most jet fighters of the period used a swept-wing or delta-wing , which balanced aerodynamic performance, lift, and internal space for fuel and equipment. The Lockheed tests determined that

11020-543: The aircraft, as in the January 15, 2009 forced ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 . As required by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)'s CS 25.631 or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s 14 CFR § 25.571(e)(1) post Amdt 25-96, modern jet aircraft structures are designed for continued safe flight and landing after withstanding one 4 lb (1.8 kg) bird impact anywhere on

11165-578: The airfield such as deer that have bypassed the perimeter fence. In this instance sharpshooting would be highly effective, such as is seen at Chicago O'Hare International Airport . Regional population control has been used on species that cannot be excluded from the airport environment. A nesting colony of laughing gulls at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge contributed to 98–315 bird strikes per year, in 1979–1992, at adjacent John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Though JFK had an active bird management program that precluded birds from feeding and loafing on

11310-447: The airframe, adding a ventral fin to improve directional stability at supersonic speed, and installing a boundary layer control system (BLCS) to reduce landing speed. Problems were encountered with the J79 afterburner; further delays were caused by the need to add AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. On 28 January 1958, the first production F-104A to enter service was delivered to the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Wing . In response to

11455-478: The airport, it did not stop them from overflying the airport to other feeding sites. U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services personnel began shooting all gulls that flew over the airport, hypothesizing that eventually, the gulls would alter their flight patterns. They shot 28,352 gulls in two years (approximately half of the population at Jamaica Bay and 5–6% of the nationwide population per year). Strikes with laughing gulls decreased by 89% by 1992. However this

11600-417: The airport. 15 foot (4.6 meter) long cattle guards have been shown to be effective at deterring deer up to 98% of the time. Hangars with open superstructures often attract birds to nest and roost in. Hangar doors are often left open to increase ventilation, especially in the evenings. Birds in hangars are in proximity to the airfield and their droppings are both a health and damage concern. Netting

11745-462: The aluminum skin of the aircraft were able to withstand the heating due to air friction. Furthermore, speeds above Mach 2 quickly overheated the J79 engine beyond its thermal capabilities, which resulted in the F-104 being given a design airspeed limitation of Mach 2. The engine consisted of a 17-stage compressor, an accessory drive section, an annular combustion chamber, a three-stage turbine, and an afterburner. The most powerful version of

11890-456: The amount of external weapons that could be carried to 3,000 lb (1,400 kg), and also allowed the aircraft to fulfill the NATO requirement of carrying a 2,000 lb (910 kg) "special store" (nuclear weapon) under the fuselage. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy selected the F-104 soon after as well, and the four European nations set up four production groups to jointly manufacture

12035-606: The back seat, other than that a single F-104A was modified to carry Radar homing devices like the Radar Locator (RALOR) and Short-range Low Altitude Radar Detection (SLARD). The No. 9 Squadron "Griffins" was the only PAF squadron to be equipped with these Starfighters. The PAF also provided F-104 instructors to Jordan in order to train their pilots on the aircraft after the Royal Jordanian Air Force started receiving its Starfighters in 1968. One of

12180-688: The basis for an advisory circular and a guidance letter on using Airport Improvement Program funds to acquire avian radar systems at Part 139 airports. Similarly, the DoD-sponsored Integration and Validation of Avian Radars (IVAR) project evaluated the functional and performance characteristics of Accipiter avian radars under operational conditions at Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force airfields. Accipiter avian radar systems operating at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , Chicago O'Hare International Airport , and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point made significant contributions to

12325-425: The bird strikes a fan blade, that blade can be displaced into another blade and so forth, causing a cascading failure . Jet engines are particularly vulnerable during the takeoff phase when the engine is turning at a very high speed and the plane is at a low altitude where birds are more commonly found. The force of the impact on an aircraft depends on the weight of the animal and the speed difference and direction at

12470-480: The cannon as its only air-to-air weapon. As part of the Aggiornamento Sistema d'Arma (ASA), or "Weapons System Upgrade" in the mid-1980s, both variants were given an ALQ-70/72 ECM and a FIAR/NASARR R-21G/M1 radar with frequency hopping and look-down/shoot-down capability. The new radar and guidance systems enabled the aircraft to carry the new AIM-9L Sidewinder infrared-guided missile (replacing

12615-410: The collision is approximately the relative kinetic energy ( E k {\displaystyle E_{k}} ) of the bird, defined by the equation E k = 1 2 m v 2 {\displaystyle E_{k}={\frac {1}{2}}mv^{2}} where m {\displaystyle m} is the mass of the bird and v {\displaystyle v}

12760-411: The desired performance, Lockheed chose a small and simple aircraft, weighing in at 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) with a single powerful engine. The engine chosen was the new General Electric J79 turbojet, an engine of dramatically improved performance in comparison with contemporary designs. The small design powered by a single J79, issued Temporary Design Number L-246, remained essentially identical to

12905-571: The effectiveness of propane exploders. Pyrotechnics utilizing either an exploding shell or a screamer can effectively scare birds away from runways. They are commonly launched from a 12 gauge shotgun or a flare pistol, or from a wireless specialized launcher and as such, can be aimed to allow control personnel to "steer" the species that is being harassed. Birds show varying degrees of habituation to pyrotechnics. Studies have shown that lethal reinforcement of pyrotechnic harassment has extended its usefulness. Screamer type cartridges are still intact at

13050-445: The end of their flight (as opposed to exploding shells that destroy themselves) constituting a foreign object damage hazard and must be picked up. The use of pyrotechnics is considered "take" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and USFWS must be consulted if federally threatened or endangered species could be affected. Pyrotechnics are a potential fire hazard and must be deployed judiciously in dry conditions. Bioacoustics, or

13195-496: The engine of jet aircraft. These cause annual damages that have been estimated at $ 400 million within the United States alone and up to $ 1.2 billion to commercial aircraft worldwide. In addition to property damage, collisions between man-made structures and conveyances and birds is a contributing factor, among many others, to the worldwide decline of many avian species. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) received 65,139 bird strike reports for 2011–14, and

13340-479: The entire airport environment is virtually impossible, it is possible to exclude deer and other mammals that constitute a small percentage of wildlife strikes. Three-meter-high fences made of chain link or woven wire, with barbed wire outriggers, are the most effective. When used as a perimeter fence, these fences also serve to keep unauthorized people off of the airport. Realistically, every fence must have gates. Gates that are left open allow deer and other mammals onto

13485-636: The evaluations carried out in the aforementioned FAA and DoD initiatives. In 2003, a US company, DeTect, developed the only production model bird radar in operational use for real-time, tactical bird–aircraft strike avoidance by air traffic controllers. These systems are operational at both commercial airports and military airfields. The system has widely used technology available for BASH management and for real-time detection, tracking and alerting of hazardous bird activity at commercial airports, military airfields, and military training and bombing ranges. After extensive evaluation and on-site testing, MERLIN technology

13630-577: The event of a conflict with Warsaw Pact forces. During its service life the CF-104 carried the B28 , B43 and B57 nuclear weapons. When the CAF later discontinued the strike/reconnaissance role for conventional attack, the M61A1 was refitted, along with U.S. Mk. 82 Snakeye "iron" bombs, British BL755 cluster bombs and Canadian-designed CRV-7 rocket pods. Although Canadian pilots practised air combat tactics ,

13775-489: The first aircraft to hold all three simultaneously. It was also the first aircraft to be equipped with the M61 Vulcan autocannon. Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, vice president of engineering and research at Lockheed's Skunk Works , visited USAF air bases across South Korea in November 1951 to speak with fighter pilots about what they wanted and needed in a fighter aircraft. At the time, the American pilots were confronting

13920-729: The following awards: A competition between NATO squadrons with cat mascots. In the late 1970s, the New Fighter Aircraft program was launched to find a suitable replacement for the CF-104, as well as the McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo and the Canadair CF-5 . The winner of the competition was the CF-18 Hornet, which began to replace the CF-104 in 1982. All of the CF-104s were retired from service by

14065-464: The fuselage than most contemporary aircraft. The wing provided excellent supersonic and high-speed, low-altitude performance, but also poor turning capability and high landing speeds. It was the first production aircraft to achieve Mach 2, and the first aircraft to reach an altitude of 100,000 ft (30,000 m) after taking off under its own power. The Starfighter established world records for airspeed, altitude, and time-to-climb in 1958, becoming

14210-527: The ground. Bar-headed geese have been seen flying as high as 10,175 m (33,383 ft) above sea level. An aircraft over the Ivory Coast collided with a Rüppell's vulture at the altitude of 11,300 m (37,100 ft), the current record avian height. The majority of bird collisions occur near or at airports (90%, according to the ICAO ) during takeoff, landing and associated phases. According to

14355-400: The high mortality rates as well as the risk of disease transmission associated with relocation must be weighed. Between 2008 and 2010, U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services personnel relocated 606 red-tailed hawks from airports in the United States after the failure of multiple harassment attempts. The return rate of these hawks was 6%; the relocation mortality rate for these hawks

14500-610: The initial version of the M61: the Gatling -mechanism cannon suffered problems with its linked ammunition , being prone to misfeed and presenting a foreign object damage (FOD) hazard as discarded links were occasionally sucked into the engine. A linkless ammunition feed system was developed for the upgraded M61A1 installed in the F-104C; the M61A1 has subsequently been used by a wide variety of American combat aircraft. The cannon, mounted in

14645-410: The interceptor (fighter against bomber combat) and tactical fighter-bomber roles. The F-104 was deemed inadequate for either, lacking both payload capability and endurance in comparison with other USAF aircraft. As a result, the USAF procured only 296 Starfighters, including both single-seat and two-seat versions. During Operation Power Pack , USAF F-104s were deployed to Ramey Air Force Base to protect

14790-653: The laboratory most commonly finds mourning doves and horned larks involved in the strike. The largest numbers of strikes happen during the spring and fall migrations. Bird strikes above 500 feet (150 m) altitude are about 7 times more common at night than during the day during the bird migration season. Large land animals, such as deer, can also be a problem to aircraft during takeoff and landing. Between 1990 and 2013, civil aircraft experienced more than 1,000 collisions with deer and 440 with coyotes . An animal hazard reported from London Stansted Airport in England

14935-847: The last USAF Starfighters left regular Air Force service in 1969. The aircraft continued in use with the Puerto Rico Air National Guard until 1975 when it was replaced by the A-7 Corsair II . The last use of the F-104 Starfighter in US markings was training pilots for the West German Air Force , with a wing of TF-104Gs and F-104Gs based at Luke Air Force Base , Arizona. Although operated in USAF markings, these aircraft (which included German-built aircraft) were owned by West Germany. They continued in use until 1983. In 1961, Pakistan, as

15080-501: The loss of five aircraft, one from the 476th TFS, which deployed from April to July 1965, and four from the 436th Tactical Fighter Squadron , which deployed from July to October 1965. One incident on 20 September claimed three F-104s when Captain Philip E. Smith strayed into Chinese airspace and was shot down by a Chinese Shenyang J-6 ; two more collided in mid-air while searching for Smith's missing jet. No losses were reported from

15225-482: The lower part of the port fuselage, was fed by a 725-round drum behind the pilot's seat. With its firing rate of 6,000 rounds per minute, the cannon would empty the drum after just over seven seconds of continuous fire. The cannon was omitted in all the two-seat models and some single-seat versions including reconnaissance aircraft, with the gun bay and ammunition drum typically replaced by additional fuel tanks. Two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles could be carried on

15370-587: The modifications that were proposed during this time, mainly from the Joint Test Force at Edwards AFB in California, were the installation of an arrester hook, a standby attitude indicator, and the emergency engine nozzle closure system. In all, 2,578 F-104s were produced by Lockheed and under license by various foreign manufacturers. The Starfighter's airframe was all-metal, primarily duralumin with some stainless steel and titanium. The fuselage

15515-432: The most effective airfield wildlife management strategy. Non-lethal management can be further broken down into habitat manipulation, exclusion, visual, auditory, tactile, or chemical repellents, and relocation. One of the primary reasons that wildlife is seen in airports is an abundance of food. Food resources on airports can be either removed or made less desirable. One of the most abundant food resources found on airports

15660-430: The most efficient shape for high-speed supersonic flight was a very small and thin, straight, mid-mounted, trapezoidal wing . Much of the data on the wing shape was derived from testing done with the experimental unmanned Lockheed X-7 , which used a wing of a similar shape. The leading edge of the wing was swept back at 26 degrees, with the trailing edge swept forward by a slightly smaller amount. The new wing design

15805-590: The nickname Witwenmacher ("widowmaker") from the German public. The final production version, the F-104S , was an all-weather interceptor built by Aeritalia for the Italian Air Force . It was retired from active service in 2004, though several F-104s remain in civilian operation with Florida-based Starfighter Inc . The Starfighter featured a radical design, with thin, stubby wings attached farther back on

15950-459: The nose-mounted radar equipment, and purging of gas from the M61 autocannon. The accessory drive ran two hydraulic pumps, two variable-frequency generators, the generator for the tachometer, and pumps for engine fuel and oil. The basic armament of the F-104 was the 20 mm (0.79 in) M61 Vulcan autocannon. As the first aircraft to carry the weapon, testing of the Starfighter revealed issues with

16095-771: The older AIM-9B) as well as the AIM-7 Sparrow and the Selenia Aspide radar-guided missiles. Early Starfighters used a downward-firing ejection seat (the Stanley C-1), out of concern over the ability of an upward-firing seat to clear the "T-tail" empennage . This presented obvious problems in low-altitude escapes, and 21 USAF pilots, including test pilot Captain Iven Carl Kincheloe Jr. , failed to escape from their stricken aircraft in low-level emergencies because of it. The downward-firing seat

16240-411: The playing of conspecific distress or predator calls to frighten animals, is widely used. This method relies on the animal's evolutionary danger response. One limitation is that bioacoustics are species-specific and birds may quickly become habituated to them. They should therefore not be used as a primary means of control. In 2012, operators at Gloucestershire Airport in England stated that songs by

16385-409: The point of impact. The energy of the impact increases with the square of the speed difference. High-speed impacts, as with jet aircraft, can cause considerable damage and even catastrophic failure to the vehicle. The energy of a 5 kg (11 lb) bird moving at a relative velocity of 275 km/h (171 mph) approximately equals the energy of a 100 kg (220 lb) weight dropped from

16530-497: The prototype Starfighter as eventually delivered. Lockheed designated the prototype Model 083. Johnson presented his new fighter concept to the United States Air Force on 5 November 1952, and they were interested enough to create a general operational requirement for a lightweight fighter to supplement and ultimately replace the yet-to-fly North American F-100 . Three additional companies were named finalists for

16675-414: The radar had a range of approximately 20 miles (32 km) in search mode, with later models reaching up to 40 miles (64 km); the scan pattern was spiral, covering a 90-degree cone. Search mode was usable only above 3,000 feet (910 m) due to ground return effects below that altitude. Track mode was usable within 10 miles (16 km) of the target, which narrowed the scan to 20 degrees and initiated

16820-559: The removable refuelling probe, initial deletion of the fuselage-mounted 20 mm (.79 in) M61A1 cannon (replaced by an additional fuel cell) and the main undercarriage members being fitted with longer-stroke liquid springs and larger tires. The first flight of a Canadian-built CF-104 (s/n 12701) occurred on 26 May 1961. The Canadair CF-104 production was 200 aircraft with an additional 140 F-104Gs produced for Lockheed. The CF-104 entered Canadian service in March 1962. Originally designed as

16965-1222: The reported damage costs. After a decade of using AHAS for avoiding routes with severe ratings, the strike percentage associated with low-level flight operations has been reduced to 12% and associated costs cut in half. Avian radar is an important tool for aiding in bird strike mitigation as part of overall safety management systems at civilian and military airfields. Properly designed and equipped avian radars can track thousands of birds simultaneously in real-time, night and day, through 360 degrees of coverage, out to ranges of 10 km (6.2 mi) and beyond for flocks, updating every target's position (longitude, latitude, altitude), speed, heading, and size every 2–3 seconds. Data from these systems can be used to generate information products ranging from real-time threat alerts to historical analyses of bird activity patterns in both time and space. The FAA and United States Department of Defense (DoD) have conducted extensive science-based field testing and validation of commercial avian radar systems for civil and military applications, respectively. The FAA used evaluations of commercial three-dimensional avian radar systems developed and marketed by Accipiter Radar as

17110-619: The requirement: Republic Aviation with the AP-55, an improved version of its prototype XF-91 Thunderceptor ; North American Aviation with the NA-212, which eventually evolved into the F-107 ; and Northrop Corporation with the N-102 Fang , another J79-powered entry. Although all three finalists' proposals were strong, Lockheed had what proved to be an insurmountable head start, and was granted

17255-462: The risk of knowingly releasing animals in the airport environment. Both birds of prey and dogs must be monitored by a handler when deployed and must be cared for, when not deployed. Airport wildlife managers must consider the economics of these methods. Effigies of both predators and conspecifics have been used with success to disperse gulls and vultures. The effigies of conspecifics are often placed in unnatural positions where they can freely move with

17400-407: The risks of infection ( zoonoses ). Most bird strikes involve large birds with big populations, particularly geese and gulls in the United States. In parts of the US, Canada geese and migratory snow geese populations have risen significantly while feral Canada geese and greylag geese have increased in parts of Europe, increasing the risk of these large birds to aircraft. In other parts of

17545-414: The seeker heads of the missiles vulnerable to ground debris. The two F-104S variants added a pair of fuselage pylons beneath the intakes for conventional bomb carriage and an additional pylon under each wing, for a total of nine. Early Starfighters were also capable of carrying and launching a single MB-1 (AIR-2A Genie) rocket-powered nuclear missile using an extending trapeze launcher. This configuration

17690-623: The slower the rotation of the engine, the less energy which will be imparted onto the engine at collision. The body density of the bird is also a parameter that influences the amount of damage caused. The United States Air Force (USAF)'s Avian Hazard Advisory System (AHAS) uses near-real-time data from the National Weather Service 's NEXRAD system to provide current bird hazard conditions for published military low-level routes, ranges, and military operating areas (MOAs). Additionally, AHAS incorporates weather forecast data with

17835-484: The successful ROBIN (Radar Observation of Bird Intensity) for the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF). ROBIN is a near real-time monitoring system for flight movements of birds. ROBIN identifies flocks of birds within the signals of large radar systems. This information is used to warn air force pilots during take-off and landing. Years of observation of bird migration with ROBIN have also provided

17980-551: The trend of ever-larger and more complex fighters to produce a simple, lightweight aircraft with maximum altitude and climb performance. On 4 March 1954, the Lockheed XF-104 took to the skies for the first time, and on 26 February 1958, the production fighter was activated by the USAF. Just a few months later, it was pressed into action during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis , when it was deployed as

18125-590: The two-seat F-104B and D), improved blown flaps with a mode for improved maneuverability, electric de-icing equipment for the air intake inlets, and a larger drag chute. Avionics were improved as well, primarily with the Autonetics F15A NASARR (North American Search and Range Radar) multi-mode radar and the LN-3 inertial navigation system by Litton Industries , the first such system to be placed into operational service. Altogether, these changes increased

18270-505: The type, in September 1958. Commencing with Operation Rolling Thunder , the Starfighter was used both in the air-superiority and air-support roles. On 19 April 1965 the 476th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) of the 479th TFW arrived at Da Nang AB to help protect US F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bombers against MiG-17s and especially MiG-21s that were beginning to be flown by the Vietnamese People's Air Force (VPAF). The F-104

18415-556: The way of the birds. Most large commercial jet engines include design features that ensure they can shut down after ingesting a bird weighing up to 1.8 kg (4.0 lb). The engine does not have to survive the ingestion, just be safely shut down. This is a standalone requirement, meaning the engine alone, not the aircraft, must pass the test. Multiple strikes (such as from hitting a flock of birds) on twin-engine jet aircraft are very serious events because they can disable multiple aircraft systems. Emergency action may be required to land

18560-513: The wind. Effigies have been found to be the most effective in situations where the nuisance birds have other options (e.g. other forage, loafing, and roosting areas) available. Time to habituation varies. Lasers have been used with success to disperse several species of birds. However, lasers are species-specific as certain species will only react to certain wavelengths. Lasers become more effective as ambient light levels decrease, thereby limiting effectiveness during daylight hours. Some species show

18705-402: The wingtip stations, which could also be used for fuel tanks. The F-104C and later models added a centerline pylon and two underwing pylons for bombs, rocket pods, or fuel tanks; the centerline pylon could carry a nuclear weapon . A "catamaran" launcher for two additional Sidewinders could be fitted under the forward fuselage, although the installation had minimal ground clearance and so rendered

18850-455: The world, large birds of prey such as Gyps vultures and Milvus kites are often involved. In the US, reported strikes are mainly from waterfowl (30%), gulls (22%), raptors (20%), and pigeons and doves (7%). The Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Laboratory has identified turkey vultures as the most damaging birds, followed by Canada geese and white pelicans , all of which are very large birds. In terms of frequency,

18995-413: Was CL-90 while the RCAF's version was initially designated CF-111, then changed to CF-104. Although basically similar to the F-104G, the CF-104 was optimized for the nuclear strike/reconnaissance role, fitted with R-24A NASARR equipment dedicated to the air-to-ground mode only as well as having provision for a ventral reconnaissance pod equipped with four Vinten cameras. Other differences included retaining

19140-561: Was also deployed extensively as a barrier combat air patrol (BARCAP) protector for the EC-121 D Warning Star airborne early warning aircraft patrolling off the North Vietnamese coast. The F-104s were successful in deterring MiG interceptors and performed well as close support aircraft, though they were largely uninvolved in aerial combat and recorded no air-to-air kills during the conflict. The North Vietnamese were well aware of

19285-414: Was approximately two and a half times as long as the airplane's wingspan. The wings were centered on the horizontal reference plane, or along the longitudinal centerline of the fuselage , and were located substantially farther aft on the fuselage than most contemporary designs. The aft fuselage was elevated from the horizontal reference plane, resulting a "lifted" tail, and the nose was "drooped". This caused

19430-508: Was chosen by NASA and was ultimately used for detecting and tracking dangerous vulture activity during the 22 Space Shuttle launches from 2006 to the conclusion of the program in 2011. The USAF has contracted DeTect since 2003 to provide the Avian Hazard Advisory System (AHAS) previously mentioned. The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research , a research and development organization, has developed

19575-407: Was completed at Lockheed's Burbank facility by early 1954 and first flew on 4 March at Edwards AFB . The total time from contract to first flight was less than one year. Though development of the F-104 was never a secret, only a vague description of the aircraft was given when the USAF first revealed its existence. No photographs of the aircraft were released to the public until 1956, even though

19720-717: Was designed as an air-superiority fighter, the United States Air Force's immediate need at the time was for a supersonic interceptor . In the late 1950s, the United States government believed it was significantly behind the USSR in terms of the size of its jet-powered bomber fleet . In response, the USAF had ordered two interceptors from Convair, the F-102 Delta Dagger and the F-106 Delta Dart , but both aircraft were experiencing long development delays. The Starfighter's speed and rate-of-climb performance intrigued

19865-484: Was destroyed several weeks later during gun-firing trials when the hatch to the ejector seat blew out, depressurizing the cockpit and causing the pilot to eject in the mistaken belief that a cannon mishap had crippled the aircraft. Nevertheless, on 1 November 1955 the remaining XF-104 was accepted by the USAF. Based on the testing and evaluation of the XF-104, the next variant, the YF-104A, was lengthened and fitted with

20010-410: Was extremely thin, with a thickness-to- chord ratio of only 3.36% and an aspect ratio of 2.45. The wing's leading edges were so thin (.016 in; 0.41 mm) that they were a hazard to ground crews. Hence, protective guards were installed on them during maintenance. The thinness of the wings required fuel tanks and landing gear to be placed in the fuselage, and the hydraulic cylinders driving

20155-470: Was marred in 1975 by the discovery of bribe payments made by Lockheed to many foreign military and political figures for securing purchase contracts. The Starfighter eventually flew with fifteen air forces, but its poor safety record, especially in Luftwaffe service, brought it substantial criticism. The Germans lost 292 of 916 aircraft and 116 pilots from 1961 to 1989, its high accident rate earning it

20300-571: Was more a function of the population reduction than the gulls altering their flight pattern. Pilots should not take off or land in the presence of wildlife and should avoid migratory routes , wildlife reserves , estuaries and other sites where birds may congregate. When operating in the presence of bird flocks, pilots should seek to climb above 3,000 feet (910 m) as rapidly as possible as most bird strikes occur below that altitude. Additionally, pilots should slow down their aircraft when confronted with birds. The energy that must be dissipated in

20445-413: Was never determined. Lethal wildlife control on airports falls into two categories: reinforcement of other non-lethal methods and population control. The premise of effigies, pyrotechnics, and propane exploders is that there be a perceived immediate danger to the species to be dispersed. Initially, the sight of an unnaturally positioned effigy or the sound of pyrotechnics or exploders is enough to elicit

20590-609: Was nicknamed the "Widowmaker" by the press but not by the pilots and crews of the aircraft. David Bashow states on page 92 of his book "I never heard a pilot call it the Widowmaker". Sam Firth is quoted on page 93 in Bashow's book "I have never heard a single person who flew, maintained, controlled, or guarded that aircraft of any force (and that includes the Luftwaffe) call it the Widowmaker". The pilots did refer to it, in jest, as

20735-463: Was replaced by the Lockheed C-2 upward-firing seat, which was capable of clearing the tail, but still had a minimum speed limitation of 90 kn (104 mph; 167 km/h). Many export Starfighters were later retrofitted with Martin-Baker Mk.7 "zero-zero" (zero altitude and zero airspeed) ejection seats. The Starfighter was designed for production rates of up to 20 airplanes per day from

20880-436: Was tested on a single aircraft but was not adopted for service use; however, NASA later used it for launching test rockets. The initial USAF Starfighters had a basic RCA AN/ASG-14T1 ranging radar, tactical air navigation system (TACAN), and an AN/ARC-34 UHF radio. The AN/ASG-14 fire control system used a 24-inch (610 mm) pencil-beam radar antenna with two independent sights: one optical and one infrared. Early versions of

21025-496: Was the first time that air transport was used to move fighter aircraft long distances. Within 30 hours of arriving, First Lieutenant Crosley J. Fitton had the first of the 83rd's airplanes in the air, and by 19 September the entire unit was ready for day or night alert status. The F-104 flew a number of supersonic runs between Taiwan and mainland China at speeds up to Mach 2 as an air-superiority demonstration, and though there were no direct enemy engagements prior to withdrawal after

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