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[OM] OT Widowmaker (was OMs in Action)

Subject: [OM] OT Widowmaker (was OMs in Action)
From: Chris Barker <imagopus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 22:42:38 +0100
Yes, the F104 might have been called the Widowmaker. But the pilots who flew it loved the machine, probably some sort of machismo thing (e.g. if you can survive 3 tours on these babies, you're a real man). There was a song written for Starfighter pilots (called, you will be surprised to hear "Starfighter Song").

But when it was doing the role it was designed for, high speed intercept, it was excellent. The Germans' problem was that they used it in the ground-attack role (and the Italians in the nuclear strike role with the long-range F104S, I believe). It was very unforgiving of mistakes close to the ground and it turned like supermarket trolley. One of its problems was the stall prevention system: this was a stick pusher that prevented you from exceeding a certain angle of attack; therefore, if you got a little low or slow on a strafe attack, you could not recover if you tried too hard ...

I have never flown this aircraft. Our equivalent was the Jaguar, which in the old days (70s & early 80s) had a navigation system whose control was between the pilot's knees, quite low down. The computer's iteration rate was rather slow and you might easily press a button and it not take, so you would do it again. With your head in the cockpit at low level (250ft) it did not take some pilots long to get to the ground. But it had 2 engines and was fun to fly...

The Voodoo (CF101?) in the photo was a fun machine as I understand it. They could really motor at low level (750kts plus) and their air-to-air armament was the Genie nuclear missile! Their tactics were to point, shoot and turn away as quickly as possible...

Chris

 >No, that would be the Lockheed CF-104 "Starfighter," a single-engine
needle-nosed brute with stubby triangular-shaped wings (with the tip of the
triangle "clipped").  If the engine failed, it had really crappy glide
characteristics (read: "NONE").  Went down like a brick.  Tended to be used
a lot by Canadian pilots in Western Europe during the Cold War for
low-flying sorties, and when the engine died...

Once met a Canadian Forces pilot who told me that out of his original
flight class, only he and one other guy were still alive.  All the others,
supposedly, had been lost in Starfighter accidents.  Have no idea how true
this story is...


Actually this was one of the "rumors" that floated heavily. While Canadians
had their fair share of "incidents" with the 104 it was actually the
Luftwaffe who lost many, many pilots in both training accidents and ops.
Canadians stationed in Germany at the time watched in awe and hence one of
the 104's nicknames. The other was the "Flying Prostitute" - the aircraft
had "no visible means of support" with the short wingspan. As a side note
the leading edges of the wing were so sharp they had special bumpers made
to cover them when the a/c not in use.

Barry H

--
<|_:-)_|>

C M I Barker
Cambridgeshire, England.

+44 (0)7092 251126
mailto:imagopus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
... a nascent photo library.

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