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From: foster@nsc.UUCP (Jerry Foster)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Starfighter yarn
Message-ID: <3003@nsc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Jul-85 15:54:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: nsc.3003
Posted: Fri Jul 19 15:54:42 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Jul-85 03:35:54 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: National Semiconductor, Sunnyvale
Lines: 27


>I have heard this story from several people, but the one who tells it best
>is Steve Bourne of shell fame. Steve does a great rendition of aircraft
>stories. If you ever get to meet him, ask him for the one about what the guy
>with the privately-owned jet fighter (Starfighter, I think) did when ATC asked
>him to report altitudes.

Don't know what Steve's Starfighter story is about, but I have one
about an F-104 from a few years ago.

Anybody out there really know of a privately owned Starfighter?
I have only heard of ONE and that belonged to Daryl Greenamyer (sp?) of 
Reno Air Race fame.  Daryl had exhausted the thrills of Reno Unlimiteds
and pushed his much modified F-8 Bearcat against the piston engine 
speed record.  I don't remember if he made it or not, but he next wanted
to try the jet engine speed record and got himself a totaled F-104 which
the DOD had sold for scrap.  There wasn't much left of it but the airframe.
Combing surplus yards and scrap dealers he was able to rebuild it after
several years and set out to capture the jet speed record.

At the end of a test run, the gear failed to lock in the down position
(or so the indicator said even if it looked ok from the outside).  Daryl
circled while trying the gear several times with no success.  Finally
his fuel ran low and he had to make a decision.  According to reports,
nobody had ever bellied in an F-104 and lived, so Daryl ejected and the
plane crashed.  End of thousands of man hours, end of hundreds of
thousands of dollars, end of speed record attempt -  end of story.