And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Probably Italian; the RAF never flew them. Can’t tell the roundel color from black & white picture, but those look like Italian unit numbers on the nose. Italy, Germany & Spain were big buyers of the F-104. German markings are distinctive and Spain carries a brightly colored rudder with a large X on it.
I think Canadian, though hard to tell from the roundels, but the split nose colour is right. Sold them to the Turks when the Canadian airforce bought the F-18A. Can's airforce is still using the original F-18 LOL 40 years old now.
The F-104 held the time to climb record for many years, as I recall. Perhaps up until the F-15? When I was a boy, one network would sign off for the day with the announcer reading "High Flight" as a video showed a 104 flying through the clouds. Poetry in motion.
The record holder for time-to-climb was the English Electric Lightning. Beat the F-15. Could intercept the U-2 at the spy plane's operational altitude of ~65-67k ft. Could climb ballistically to 87-88k ft. Only interceptor able to catch the Concorde in a tail chase. Neat plane!
Pointing more like 70° of pitch, and jarking the photo angle to appear like it was up, but the formation pull-up is still impressive for such a temperamental bird. Even Chuck Yeager managed to get humbled outside the envelope with one once.
F 104 Star fighters?
ReplyDeletepoint in time might have been inspired by a "Rusty Warren Moment"
ReplyDeleteThey look like F104s with British roundels.
ReplyDeleteProbably Italian; the RAF never flew them. Can’t tell the roundel color from black & white picture, but those look like Italian unit numbers on the nose. Italy, Germany & Spain were big buyers of the F-104. German markings are distinctive and Spain carries a brightly colored rudder with a large X on it.
DeleteI think Canadian, though hard to tell from the roundels, but the split nose colour is right. Sold them to the Turks when the Canadian airforce bought the F-18A. Can's airforce is still using the original F-18 LOL 40 years old now.
ReplyDeleteThe F-104 held the time to climb record for many years, as I recall. Perhaps up until the F-15?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a boy, one network would sign off for the day with the announcer reading "High Flight" as a video showed a 104 flying through the clouds.
Poetry in motion.
The record holder for time-to-climb was the English Electric Lightning. Beat the F-15. Could intercept the U-2 at the spy plane's operational altitude of ~65-67k ft. Could climb ballistically to 87-88k ft. Only interceptor able to catch the Concorde in a tail chase. Neat plane!
DeletePointing more like 70° of pitch, and jarking the photo angle to appear like it was up, but the formation pull-up is still impressive for such a temperamental bird. Even Chuck Yeager managed to get humbled outside the envelope with one once.
ReplyDelete