I've been told by Air Force jocks that the F-104 was one of the toughest fighters to fly. Most have told me the 104 was just a manned rocket.
I don't know for sure.
The 104 was nicknamed the "widowmaker" in Europe. There were still Italian and German 104's in use when I was stationed in Germany. We had an Italian F-104 go down en route to our base for an exercise. Took half a day for us to find it. Pretty much ended up an aluminum hole in a hillside.
The Germans lost about 110 Luftwaffe pilots in Starfighters. The fact that the early versions of the 104 had downward firing ejection seats didn't help the situation. If you had to punch out at low altitudes you were in a world of hurt.
===================== Boots were made for walking Winds were blowing change Boys fall in the jungle As I Came of Age
