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From: dsmith@hplabsc.UUCP (David Smith)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Re: Starfighter yarn
Message-ID: <2659@hplabsc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 26-Jul-85 18:04:21 EDT
Article-I.D.: hplabsc.2659
Posted: Fri Jul 26 18:04:21 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 28-Jul-85 06:41:53 EDT
References: <3003@nsc.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA
Lines: 36

> 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....
> 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.

Because DOD's policy is to sell them as scrap only, badly cut up to prevent
any thought of restoration.

> Combing surplus yards and scrap dealers he was able to rebuild it after
> several years and set out to capture the jet speed record.

He captured the low-altitude jet speed record, and was grooming the plane
for an assault on the altitude record for aircraft that take off under
their own power.

> 
> 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.

I saw this plane towed as a parade float in the 4th of July parade in Idaho
Falls, ID, in I guess 1978, to advertise the coming air show (at which it
was parked).  I saw the highly compacted remains of the central fuselage
lying by a building at the Mojave airport in October 1983.  A crying shame.
It had been a beautiful aircraft.  (And to forestall a chewing out, this
thing had no weapons.)


		David Smith
		ucbvax!hplabs!dsmith