Editing Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (section)

===World records===
The F-104 was the first aircraft to simultaneously hold the world speed and altitude records. On 7 May 1958, USAF Major Howard C. Johnson, flying YF-104A 55–2957, broke the world [[flight altitude record]] for jet aircraft by flying to {{convert|27811|m|ft|order=flip}}{{efn|group=records|FAI record no. 5056.}} over Edwards AFB.<ref name="Bowman2000p45">Bowman 2000, p. 45.</ref> On 16 May 1958, USAF Captain Walter W. Irwin, flying YF-104A 55–2969, set a world [[flight airspeed record]] of {{convert|2259.538|kph|mph|order=flip}}<ref>FAI record no. 9063.</ref> over a course {{convert|15|mi}} long at Edwards AFB.<ref name="IFSrecords">{{cite web |url=https://www.i-f-s.nl/f-104-records/ |title=F-104 Records |publisher=International F-104 Society |access-date=16 November 2019}}</ref> Flying F-104A 56–0762 over NAS Point Mugu, California, USAF Lieutenants William T. Smith and [[Einar Enevoldson]] set several time-to-climb records on 13 and 14 December 1958:<ref name="IFSrecords"/>

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="text-align:right;"
!Altitude<br /> meters (feet)
!time<br /> seconds
|-
|{{convert|3000|m|ft|sp=us|-2|abbr=values}} || 41.85<ref>FAI record no. 9107.</ref>
|-
| {{convert|6000|m|ft|sp=us|-2|abbr=values}} || 58.41<ref>FAI record no. 9106.</ref>
|-
| {{convert|9000|m|ft|sp=us|-2|abbr=values}} || 81.14<ref>FAI record no. 9105.</ref>
|-
| {{convert|12000|m|ft|sp=us|-2|abbr=values}} || 99.90<ref>FAI record no. 9104.</ref>
|-
| {{convert|15000|m|ft|sp=us|-2|abbr=values}} || 131.10<ref>FAI record no. 9103.</ref>
|-
| {{convert|20000|m|ft|sp=us|-2|abbr=values}} || 222.99<ref>FAI record no. 9102.</ref>
|-
| {{convert|25000|m|ft|sp=us|-2|abbr=values}} || 266.03<ref>FAI record no. 9080.</ref>
|}

On 14 December 1959, USAF Captain "Joe" B. Jordan, flying F-104C 56–0885 at Edwards AFB, set a new world altitude record of {{convert|31513|m|ft|order=flip}},<ref>FAI record no. 10354.</ref> in the process becoming the first aircraft to take off under its own power and cross both the 30,000-meter and 100,000-foot thresholds. He also set a {{convert|30000|m|ft|adj=on|sp=us|-2}} time-to-climb record of 904.92 seconds.<ref name="IFSrecords"/><ref>FAI record no. 9065.</ref>{{efn|group=records|The lower-altitude records were surpassed in February 1962 by the [[Northrop T-38 Talon]], and soon after all of the time-to-climb records were broken by the F-4 Phantom. The T-38 time-to-climb records are ID numbers 8718, 8604, 8599, and 8719 in the FAI database.}} USAF Major Robert W. Smith, flying NF-104A 56–0756, set an unofficial world altitude record of {{convert|118860|ft|m|abbr=on}} on 15 November 1963, and on 6 December 1963 he flew the same aircraft to another unofficial altitude record of {{convert|120800|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Bowman2000p172">Bowman 2000, p. 172.</ref><ref name="Pace1992p142">Pace 1992, p. 142.</ref>

[[Jacqueline Cochran]], a lieutenant colonel in the [[United States Air Force Reserve]], flew TF-104G N104L to set three women's world's speed records: On 11 May 1964, she averaged {{convert|1429.3|mph}} over a {{convert|15-25|km|abbr=on}} course,<ref>FAI record no. 13041.</ref> on 1 June she flew at an average speed of {{convert|1303.18|mph}} over a {{convert|100|km|abbr=on}} closed-circuit course,<ref>FAI record no. 12389.</ref> and on 3 June she recorded an average speed of {{convert|1127.4|mph}} over a {{convert|500|km|abbr=on}} closed-circuit course.<ref name="Pace1992p142"/><ref name="IFSrecords"/><ref>FAI record no. 13037.</ref>

Lockheed test pilot [[Darryl Greenamyer]] built an F-104 out of parts he had collected. The aircraft, [[N104RB Red Baron|N104RB]], first flew in 1976. On 2 October of that year, trying to set a new low-altitude {{convert|3|km|abbr=on}} speed record, Greenamyer averaged {{convert|1010|mph}} at Mud Lake near [[Tonopah, Nevada]]. A tracking camera malfunction eliminated the necessary proof for the official record.<ref name="IFSrecords"/> On 24 October 1977, Greenamyer flew a {{convert|3|km|abbr=on}} official FAI record flight of {{convert|1590.45|kph|mph|abbr=on}}.<ref>FAI record no. 8515.</ref>

On 26 February 1978, Greenamyer made a practice run for a world altitude record attempt. At the conclusion of the practice run, he was unable to get an indication that the right landing gear was down and locked even after a number of attempts to cycle the gear. Low on fuel and faced with a landing situation that was not considered survivable, Greenamyer successfully ejected, and the N104RB crashed in the desert.<ref name="Donald2003p165">Donald 2003, p. 165.</ref><ref name="Upton2003p98">Upton 2003, p. 98.</ref>