⏩ Check out the Store: growling-sidewinder.creator-spring.com/ 🎦 MINI DOCS: th-cam.com/channels/7fHdUKjyFQjy_LUMEuBrJg.html Thank you guys for watching, I'll see you in the next one, Much Love.
It was made for high altitude intercepts of USSR nuclear bombers. It got mission creep and was used at low altitudes where it tended to suddenly drop its nose and crash before the ejection seat could be utilized.
@@delfinenteddyson9865 not exactly, Germany didn't have the budget to maintain multiple fleets of aircraft so they decided to use the f104 for both mission types, additionally it had a better accident rate than. The f84s Germany was using before
@@Hebdomad7 I think only the first generation had the downward ejecting seat. The version Germany bought had a upgraded regular (upward ejecting) ejection seat. Nevertheless, the thing was still ill suited to be flown at tree top level, as the Germans did. Living in Germany today and knowing how this country is strangulating itself in regulations and safety fetishism because it is run by old women and politicians pandering to old women, it is a crazy thought that as recently as the 60s and early 70s the Germans still had balls and were reckless and cavalier like that.
@@markymarknj Exactly, to take out TU-4s coming over the pole on one way missions to CONUS. F-106's were the ultimate version of that concept. Cannot wait for "The Six" to become a module. It won William Tell competitions in the USAF even after F-15A was introduced.
It was designed as the ultimate Energy fighter before energy fighting tactics were really codified. Think "boom and zoom fighter from hell" in a world where only the west had a usable IR missile. (There was a few years) THAT was what the 104 was designed for. The interceptor and fighter bomber roles came later, as IR missile tech improved enough (and the russians brought the ATOLL on line) that showing the enemy your ass at mach 1 and full burner in a near vertical climb after a pass was... dangerous. when users decided to see "What else is this thing good for?!"
@@debbiestimac5175 By reading your comments Debbie you do know your stuff. Were you USAF or West German Air Force Vet ?? I was USAF. i worked on F-15C F-16D and KC-135Rs.
Where i am from we call them "Fliegender Sarg" - flying coffin. My childhood friends grandfather died when in a starfighter accident, we had a huge airbase close to my hometown
The royal Danish air force used to fly the Lockheed f-104 Starfighters over the peninsula where we lived in the Isles of Scilly, as kids we'd watch them zipping past at tremendous speed... The sound of that General Electric J79 turbojet engine, fed by side-mounted intakes with fixed inlet cones optimized for performance at Mach 1.7 was incredible. If I remember rightly, they updated the engine to theJ79 GE 19 making the aircraft capable of Mach 2. It really was a sight to behold.
Little fun fact: The German used the 104 as a Ground Attacker (Why? I don't know, probably to crash into the Ground) and Italy upgraded and used it till 2004 (with the F104S and S/ASA). There's one at 500m from my Home
To drop nukes. No joke, that was the primary reason why the Starfighter has been purchased by Germany. The german defense minister at this time, F.J. Strauß, was very obsessed of being part of a nuclear force. Btw. the US F-104C was also a fighter/bomber version which dropped bombs in Vietnam.
Fully agree. It was on course to be the first 3rd party module back in 2012, but that project got scrpped, it makes me extremely sad lol. I hope one day someone will pick it up, it's my favourite plane of all time personally.
Grew up with the Century Series fighters, we had the F-101 Voodoo and F-104G Starfighter in service. The Starfighter was like a wet dream made flesh, sleek, fast and absolutely unforgiveable to the unwary. Seeing the bird in combat gave me goosebumps and that thump of the SAM hitting home made me flinch. So much goodness here, thanks for wielding one of my personal favourites, it's been immensely enjoyable.
That you for making this video. I was one of the few USAF weapons personnel who was trained to load AIM-9J and 20mm cannon shells into the Luftwaffe F-104G models. In '80 and '81 I was stationed at Luke AFB and watched the Luftwaffe F-104, dressed up in USAF colors, fly missions over Arizona. Generally, they had a turning circle inside of a "township". That's 6 miles by 6 miles. Still, I loved the Starfighter and the Spanish AF had a fraction of the accident rate of the Luftwaffe. Why? Spain has the weather of Arizona. Germany has the weather of Michigan.
Yes, many Luftwaffe Pilot´s had a real Problem to adopt to the Climate Conditions here in Germany after coming from Learning to Fly the 104´s in Arizona. That´s one of the Reasons why General Steinhoff decided to "Fly fly and more Fly"......Practise, practise and more Practise. And the Accidents Rate became lower.....
GS really makes a point in many of his videos that various aircraft favor one- or two-circle fights. I submit the Starfighter is a zero-turn fighter. Make a pass, launch missiles, then straight out and home.
@Wayne Allen while yes it's an interceptor, and I originally thought the same, we have to remember. The F14 is a interceptor. The MiG29 is an interceptor, the 106 is an interceptor, the 21 was an interceptor, and hell the F4 was an interceptor. All these designs are as much interceptors as the 104, but can Excell in dogfights and other roles. I love Kelly Johnson to death and I love the 104, but it could have been so much more well rounded.
@Xivkya No, those other designs weren't "as much" interceptors as the F-104. As evidenced by the fact that they could do other roles and do them well. Not so with the F-104, and I really don't think it should've been any other way. Johnson had talked to pilots that were concerned about the ever-increasing size and complexity of aircraft, and wanted to buck the trend - which he did in spectacular fashion. He built a plane that was only as complicated as it needed to be for its intended role.
Had the pleasure of seeing these in flight while on a maneuver called REFORGER in 1984. Watching them fly over you while your in the mountain passes near Herzberg was amazing. And yeah, they are fast.
How has noone pointed out that he got away with saying , "He's having a good day," but later a great day without immediately eating a missile? Impressive flying, and wonderful video as always.
I had a base commander once who came from F-104. He often mentioned that with the F-104 you wouldn't want to be in a turning fight with Anyone .... They also preferred to fly always with tip tanks as they benefit the acft's turning circle and in BFM they lowered the flaps to an intermediate position (combat flaps) ...
As a kid, I remember seeing these flying around Germany. Also remember one crashing not far from my grandfather's place. Basically like riding on top of an engine with little wings.
Couple things on the 104 Saw her at the Dayton air show in flight. She went straight down the runway, did the longest turn round ever, and straight down the runway again. Designed for high fast intercept not much of an air show plane. Still great to see and loud. Up close her wings are spooky thin and small. Hell, the plastic model kits they're like razor blades...
The wings actually are like razor blades, Ground Crews had to install special protective cut guards on the leading and trailing edges of the wing prior to working on it
Watch some old videos of the Slivers and the Vikings performances and you’ll see more of what’s possible. I guess they don’t wanna push it with old planes.
It's really cool to see these videos about the earliest types of jet fighters. Would love to see one on the BAC lightning, those things were rapid and could do a full vertical climb while taking off due to their powerful Rolls Royce jet engines.
I was USAF working on F4Es back in the 70s. I remember reading a comment by Kelly Johnson about the accident rate. He said that 104 was designed to go after high flying Sov bombers, not fighters. He said that the Germans wanted to hand bomb ordnance on it and go after targets. It just wasn't designed to do that job but the US Government pushed it for a role it wasn't intended for.
Kelly Johnson designed the F-104 as an air superiority fighter, not as a bomber interceptor. The "G" model sold to NATO was just a development of the USAF F-104C, which was a multi-role fighter bomber.
That historical introduction was really great! GS, maybe you should launch new video series about some aircrafts from DCS and how accurate they are in compare with real world "prototypes"
Bruv your content is fire. Just the simple shots from the ground where we see the events unfolding. A simple but effective shot. Or like a couple videos ago when you were in tge cockpit of a Viper and watched a massive dogfight overhead.
Another fun fact - the leading edges and trailing edges were so razor-sharp that they would often cut ground grew hands if run against - and so, you will see photos Starfighters on the ground with cloth covers over those edges for that reason.
I cut my head thanks to that edges! It happened ten years ago while on a school trip, our teacher even warned us about it. This dumbass got to the Hospital and I was mocked for some days. They said: "4 more and you'll become an Ace!" Fun times.
So I just a F-104 at the Palm Springs aviation museum a couple week ago. The leading edges are thin, but definitely not sharp. It would be really hard to cut yourself on them, but I definitely would want to bump into them
Growling knows what he is doing, but yeah it's a bit nerfed. You don't want people demanding refunds, IMO. Those B model sidewinder are also tracking WAY too consistently. Glad he is ripple firing though, it was the tactic back in the day and the Russians still use it, their gear being so unreliable.
This video is sick. I’m loving the historical introduction to this beautiful aircraft. I’ve been in love with a starfighter ever since I was a kid as it is just such a beautiful aircraft.
I love how a reoccurring theme of this channel is growling sidewinder saying something along the lines of “what is that thing?” Followed by a terrifying realization and then usually death.
To be fair for F-104, it was called widowmaker mostly in Germany, like japanese for example was pretty happy with it (they not really tried to use it as CAS)
1.) I always love your videos. 2.) Actually ran into a gentleman wearing an American Murder Hornet shirt while vending at a con this past weekend. Was like, "Wait, you're a fan of Growling Sidewinder!"
I got to see an F-104 in flight during the early 1980s. I was stationed at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego and a Starfighter in NASA livery would make occasional visits to the base. The roll-out on takeoff was always long, but once it was airborne, it would leave in a hurry. Pretty cool, actually.
My dad flew the F104 (Belgium). There was a ball each year for his wing and there was every time an empty table with filled glasses at the dinner. These were for pilots who died flying the F104. Not during battle but malfunctions that were fatal. That's why it was called the widow maker.
Reminds me of one of my favorite memes... Germany: USA, can you give me F-104? USA: To intercept enemy aircraft? Germany: Yeeeees. (Actually uses it to attack ground targets like a boss.) (Lawndart time)
Fascinating that the Dragon Lady (U-2) is based upon the F-104. Notice the almost identical fuselage; with the obvious radical departure in the 'wing department'.
I lived in arizona at the edge of the desert in the mid 60's when I was very young. I remember to this day the howl of those things ripping across the desert
Erich Hartmann himself was one of the voices against using this fighter in german air force. some sources say him butting heads with higher command caused his early retirement after returning to the west germany
Yes, that´s a Fact. Hartmann was against the 104, he didn´t get promoted like other WW2 Buddy´s from that Time after clashing with higher Ups....and nowadays everyone knows that Lockheed did bribe the Minister of Defence in West Germany at that Time which was Franz Josef Strauss from Bavaria. They did bribe a lot of Western Europe Nations....In Belgium the Royal Family was involved. It´s a History in History itself....
Iive in the mountains of West Virginia, where logging is a huge industry. The term "Widowmaker" refers to tree limbs that are dead, but still attached to the parent tree, which is a hazard to anyone beneath the tree, as they can detach and fall at anytime, without warning.
By "downward ejecting" you mean the seat exited through the "floor" of the aircraft rather than upwards towards the canopy ? Jesus. Who thought that was a good idea ?
@@DrOneOneOne The Idea I think was that it would be safer for ejections based on technology at the time. So I think they were worried that during a high altitude high speed interception or something, if the pilot had to eject, based on current ejection seats, that he might hit the tail. So they had a downward ejection seat. They changed it out later though.
I love that the CIA literally put big wings on this thing and made one of the best surveillance planes of all time. Yes, the U-2 is literally the plane with the smallest wings, but with the biggest wings
@@Alpha-uo2rn there wasnt any TBH They were analogues, both were introduced at same time If anything 21 had worse a2a missiles with ccm being rear aspect only
@@Alpha-uo2rn Not really, they both came into service at about the same time (in the US/Russia that is). During these clashes India was using the F-13 and FL variants which were among the first models of MiG-21.
How do you go between every fighter in your videos? In your own getting started video you said it takes days of reading before first flying. When you first started did you take every modules training,or do you do multiple classes at once?
Deeply appreciate, especially the defensive countermeasures. Also learn something that sidewinders don't require the radar to be on so you're not giving yourself away. That's pretty slick. Also, all of these other aircrafts such as the Starfighter to the raptor I can't find to prioritize my next mods😢 maybe there's a special place I don't know. Maybe you can point me in the right direction. Love your videos I take them as training vids rather than entertainment. Deeply appreciated 👍 👊😎⚓🇺🇸⚓
⏩ Check out the Store: growling-sidewinder.creator-spring.com/
🎦 MINI DOCS: th-cam.com/channels/7fHdUKjyFQjy_LUMEuBrJg.html
Thank you guys for watching, I'll see you in the next one, Much Love.
LOL isnt mini-docs part part of Dark Docs and Dark Skies?
@@ig33ku no Mini Docs is my 2nd channel.
@@GrowlingSidewinder love the videos on the mini docs channel keep up the grind man great content
@@GrowlingSidewinder Time to sub!! :P
would love to see the prowler or a6 intruder in dcs and a mini doc to loved the planes so sad to see them go a 6 was a beast
It was made for high altitude intercepts of USSR nuclear bombers. It got mission creep and was used at low altitudes where it tended to suddenly drop its nose and crash before the ejection seat could be utilized.
Which was downward firing because of the massive vertical tail. Again. Not so great for low altitude.
I am pretty sure it got sold to Germany as a fighter-bomber/ground strike aircraft
@@delfinenteddyson9865 not exactly, Germany didn't have the budget to maintain multiple fleets of aircraft so they decided to use the f104 for both mission types, additionally it had a better accident rate than. The f84s Germany was using before
@@Hebdomad7 I think only the first generation had the downward ejecting seat. The version Germany bought had a upgraded regular (upward ejecting) ejection seat. Nevertheless, the thing was still ill suited to be flown at tree top level, as the Germans did.
Living in Germany today and knowing how this country is strangulating itself in regulations and safety fetishism because it is run by old women and politicians pandering to old women, it is a crazy thought that as recently as the 60s and early 70s the Germans still had balls and were reckless and cavalier like that.
It doesn't help that Lockheed Martin was found bribing defence officials.
Always thought those tiny wings made the Starfighter a pure "interceptor". It's built for straight-line high-speed dashes, not high-g manoeuvring.
Yep, that's what the F-104 was designed for; it was a high altitude interceptor.
@@markymarknj Exactly, to take out TU-4s coming over the pole on one way missions to CONUS. F-106's were the ultimate version of that concept. Cannot wait for "The Six" to become a module. It won William Tell competitions in the USAF even after F-15A was introduced.
It was designed as the ultimate Energy fighter before energy fighting tactics were really codified.
Think "boom and zoom fighter from hell" in a world where only the west had a usable IR missile. (There was a few years)
THAT was what the 104 was designed for.
The interceptor and fighter bomber roles came later, as IR missile tech improved enough (and the russians brought the ATOLL on line) that showing the enemy your ass at mach 1 and full burner in a near vertical climb after a pass was... dangerous. when users decided to see "What else is this thing good for?!"
@Marky Mark
No, it was designed as a fighter in the early 50s
It's role as an interceptor came later.
@@debbiestimac5175 By reading your comments Debbie you do know your stuff. Were you USAF or West German Air Force Vet ?? I was USAF. i worked on F-15C F-16D and KC-135Rs.
Everyone NEEDS to experience the howl of this thing passing, love the widowmaker
I hope I get to feel that knowing that the 104 is actually a very popular warbird
Sure, it's good, but have you heard the hawker hunter howl. Sounds like a tie fighter
@@eddy0803 i'd prefer 104 over that tbh
it's a tube lol. Nothing to love about that aircraft
@@eddy0803 kinda does when I checked it out.
Hoping I have enough time to see it
Can you imagine hearing a pilot say, "We're going to *try* to take off."
Germany actually called the Starfighter "Erdnagel" which translates to ground nail. Yeah, we loved them.
That's fair. IIRC, USAF pilots occasionally referred to it as the "lawn dart" because it liked to go nose-first into the ground when trying to land.
It also carried the nicknames “Widow Maker” and “the missile with a man in it”.
In Italy he has a similar nickname, "spillone", which means something along the lines of "big pin"
What's the best way to get a Starfighter? - Buy an acre of land and wait
Where i am from we call them "Fliegender Sarg" - flying coffin.
My childhood friends grandfather died when in a starfighter accident, we had a huge airbase close to my hometown
GS : "The question is, can it outrun a missile..."
MISSILE : "Nope"
SA-2s were unforgiving during that time period.
LOOOL
@@TheGoddamnBacon MISSILE: Here hold my beer
Missile hungy!!!!
Missile: Widowmaker? Nah that's my job.
And thus GS became the first F-104 ace, scoring more AA kills with it than the entire USAF
The royal Danish air force used to fly the Lockheed f-104 Starfighters over the peninsula where we lived in the Isles of Scilly, as kids we'd watch them zipping past at tremendous speed...
The sound of that General Electric J79 turbojet engine, fed by side-mounted intakes with fixed inlet cones optimized for performance at Mach 1.7 was incredible.
If I remember rightly, they updated the engine to theJ79 GE 19 making the aircraft capable of Mach 2.
It really was a sight to behold.
Little fun fact: The German used the 104 as a Ground Attacker (Why? I don't know, probably to crash into the Ground) and Italy upgraded and used it till 2004 (with the F104S and S/ASA).
There's one at 500m from my Home
Hahahaha. Yes, it regularly attacked the ground. Usually with its nose
Because Lockheed Martin bribed the German defence minister.
To drop nukes. No joke, that was the primary reason why the Starfighter has been purchased by Germany. The german defense minister at this time, F.J. Strauß, was very obsessed of being part of a nuclear force.
Btw. the US F-104C was also a fighter/bomber version which dropped bombs in Vietnam.
Not necessarily nukes, but it can be used as a long range, high altitude bomber.
(F-104, MiG-23) What if we turned an interceptor into a ground attacker?
(Tornado) What if we turned a ground attacker into an interceptor?
I think this aircraft would make a great full module addition to DCS. Loads of variants, loads of users and nearly half the NATO countries had them.
Fully agree. It was on course to be the first 3rd party module back in 2012, but that project got scrpped, it makes me extremely sad lol. I hope one day someone will pick it up, it's my favourite plane of all time personally.
@@ViktorMartin113 glad to know that im not the only one who loves this metal bird!
@@Lewd-Tenant_Isano7, I'm also always happy to see people who share a love for the 104.
i love the 104 too, just such a nice plane
@@monke2676Aerges is making it into a Module
Grew up with the Century Series fighters, we had the F-101 Voodoo and F-104G Starfighter in service. The Starfighter was like a wet dream made flesh, sleek, fast and absolutely unforgiveable to the unwary. Seeing the bird in combat gave me goosebumps and that thump of the SAM hitting home made me flinch. So much goodness here, thanks for wielding one of my personal favourites, it's been immensely enjoyable.
Like a wet what?!
Canadian?
That you for making this video. I was one of the few USAF weapons personnel who was trained to load AIM-9J and 20mm cannon shells into the Luftwaffe F-104G models. In '80 and '81 I was stationed at Luke AFB and watched the Luftwaffe F-104, dressed up in USAF colors, fly missions over Arizona. Generally, they had a turning circle inside of a "township". That's 6 miles by 6 miles. Still, I loved the Starfighter and the Spanish AF had a fraction of the accident rate of the Luftwaffe. Why? Spain has the weather of Arizona. Germany has the weather of Michigan.
Yes, many Luftwaffe Pilot´s had a real Problem to adopt to the Climate Conditions here in Germany after coming from Learning to Fly the 104´s in Arizona. That´s one of the Reasons why General Steinhoff decided to "Fly fly and more Fly"......Practise, practise and more Practise. And the Accidents Rate became lower.....
There was a joke in Germany: "Do you want a free Starfighter? Just buy a couple of acres of land, and wait."
That’s very funny I enjoyed that
😂😂😂😂😂
by the time you've turned around in the F-104, you've already gone around the moon
My dad was RCAF ground crew; worked on Sabres, CF100 "Canucks," and the F104, as well as the T33 and Voodoo.
GS really makes a point in many of his videos that various aircraft favor one- or two-circle fights. I submit the Starfighter is a zero-turn fighter. Make a pass, launch missiles, then straight out and home.
Boom-and-zoom taken to the extreme.
@Wayne Allen while yes it's an interceptor, and I originally thought the same, we have to remember. The F14 is a interceptor. The MiG29 is an interceptor, the 106 is an interceptor, the 21 was an interceptor, and hell the F4 was an interceptor. All these designs are as much interceptors as the 104, but can Excell in dogfights and other roles. I love Kelly Johnson to death and I love the 104, but it could have been so much more well rounded.
@Xivkya No, those other designs weren't "as much" interceptors as the F-104. As evidenced by the fact that they could do other roles and do them well. Not so with the F-104, and I really don't think it should've been any other way. Johnson had talked to pilots that were concerned about the ever-increasing size and complexity of aircraft, and wanted to buck the trend - which he did in spectacular fashion. He built a plane that was only as complicated as it needed to be for its intended role.
@@xivkya6882 The reason those all excel in said roles is because they're some of the first "modern" multirole craft.
Had the pleasure of seeing these in flight while on a maneuver called REFORGER in 1984. Watching them fly over you while your in the mountain passes near Herzberg was amazing. And yeah, they are fast.
Got to see F-104s and hear their distinct howls in Cold Lake, Alberta nearly 10 years ago! So cool! Thanks for publishing a video on these
battle of the pencils.
"I once saw Growling Sidewander down three bandits, with the pencil-fighter..."
How has noone pointed out that he got away with saying , "He's having a good day," but later a great day without immediately eating a missile? Impressive flying, and wonderful video as always.
I had a base commander once who came from F-104. He often mentioned that with the F-104 you wouldn't want to be in a turning fight with Anyone .... They also preferred to fly always with tip tanks as they benefit the acft's turning circle and in BFM they lowered the flaps to an intermediate position (combat flaps) ...
As a kid, I remember seeing these flying around Germany. Also remember one crashing not far from my grandfather's place. Basically like riding on top of an engine with little wings.
That one fox-2 he launched in that big cluster must have had sunglasses or something, pretty crazy it actually favored the mig over the sun.
it heard and understood GS's previous motivational speech
Yeah, I was thinking "RIP the sun"
It clearly knew where it wasn't
Couple things on the 104
Saw her at the Dayton air show in flight. She went straight down the runway, did the longest turn round ever, and straight down the runway again. Designed for high fast intercept not much of an air show plane. Still great to see and loud.
Up close her wings are spooky thin and small. Hell, the plastic model kits they're like razor blades...
The wings actually are like razor blades, Ground Crews had to install special protective cut guards on the leading and trailing edges of the wing prior to working on it
Same. Saw it a couple of times in Dayton.
Watch some old videos of the Slivers and the Vikings performances and you’ll see more of what’s possible. I guess they don’t wanna push it with old planes.
It's really cool to see these videos about the earliest types of jet fighters. Would love to see one on the BAC lightning, those things were rapid and could do a full vertical climb while taking off due to their powerful Rolls Royce jet engines.
And a climb rate that is impressive even to this day.
I was USAF working on F4Es back in the 70s. I remember reading a comment by Kelly Johnson about the accident rate. He said that 104 was designed to go after high flying Sov bombers, not fighters. He said that the Germans wanted to hand bomb ordnance on it and go after targets. It just wasn't designed to do that job but the US Government pushed it for a role it wasn't intended for.
Kelly Johnson designed the F-104 as an air superiority fighter, not as a bomber interceptor. The "G" model sold to NATO was just a development of the USAF F-104C, which was a multi-role fighter bomber.
That historical introduction was really great! GS, maybe you should launch new video series about some aircrafts from DCS and how accurate they are in compare with real world "prototypes"
Wait until you find out how Lockheed managed to ensure it was "selected"
go to his mini docs channel maybe there is something there
@@grafspee569 done that already
@@ВячеславСеменов-м2ш ah well
"...question is: can it outrun a missile..." You have impeccable timing, sir!😂
Damn, nice video. Been waiting a while to see the 104 on here, glad you made it happen! Thank you!
Yes a f-104 vid I’ve been waiting so long im so happy you’ve gotten to it!
I love the story about a german 104 being used to deliver medicine to a dying child because it was the only aircraft fast enough to get there in time
They called the F-104 "a missile with a man in it," but what you didn't want to be was a man with a missile in you.
Bruv your content is fire. Just the simple shots from the ground where we see the events unfolding. A simple but effective shot. Or like a couple videos ago when you were in tge cockpit of a Viper and watched a massive dogfight overhead.
Both fighters are my fave. BOTH look like a 1950's Sci-Fi fantasy, and the 104 is even called - _Starfighter_ just in case you didn't get the hint.
Love those videos man I'd love to see more of those historical introdutions
More cold war please, also we need more Cold War. Did I forget to say we need more Cold War content again? ❤
2:15 that's the NF-104 with the rocket booster, most famous for Chuck Yeager ejecting during a test flight.
It's funny, in Italy we used to call them "flying coffin". No chance of misinterpretation 😅
"They say the Starfighter is very fast... I guess the question is, can it outrun a missile-" *immediately dies from said missile*
You made the F-104 look like a rock star.
Really liked the micro history of the 104 as an intro.
Another fun fact - the leading edges and trailing edges were so razor-sharp that they would often cut ground grew hands if run against - and so, you will see photos Starfighters on the ground with cloth covers over those edges for that reason.
They wern't that sharp, there was a small radius. However it would open you up if you ran into it while working in the airplane.
I cut my head thanks to that edges! It happened ten years ago while on a school trip, our teacher even warned us about it. This dumbass got to the Hospital and I was mocked for some days. They said: "4 more and you'll become an Ace!"
Fun times.
So I just a F-104 at the Palm Springs aviation museum a couple week ago. The leading edges are thin, but definitely not sharp. It would be really hard to cut yourself on them, but I definitely would want to bump into them
Dude, I am digging the quick history lesson before the carnage! Same with Mig 21 Egyptian video. 😀
I feel like the flight model is all out of whack, that thing turned WAY to good for a 104, cant complain about the actual model though! Looks mint 👌👌👌
Growling knows what he is doing, but yeah it's a bit nerfed. You don't want people demanding refunds, IMO. Those B model sidewinder are also tracking WAY too consistently. Glad he is ripple firing though, it was the tactic back in the day and the Russians still use it, their gear being so unreliable.
@@debbiestimac5175 I’m like 99% sure those are aim-9Js, but yeah it’s turning way to well
@@Demo-nv4lo I stand corrected! Have a great week Demo!
dang those mig-21's sound darn cool from the ground. it was also funny how chaotic the fights were compared to more modern ones.
This video is sick. I’m loving the historical introduction to this beautiful aircraft. I’ve been in love with a starfighter ever since I was a kid as it is just such a beautiful aircraft.
They had to make it super fast so it could take off eventually before the runway ends.
Thanks GSW. My favorite 1950's hot rod. Not a dogfighter, so I'm pleasantly surprised that you did a vid on it.
Hey thanks for finally doing a video on the F-104! I would love to see a ground to high altitude bomber intercept video
One of my professors in college was a test pilot for this aircraft for nasa. He shared some cool stories about flying past mach 2
I love how a reoccurring theme of this channel is growling sidewinder saying something along the lines of “what is that thing?” Followed by a terrifying realization and then usually death.
I grew up with F-104s and F-4 Phantoms flying around with their loud engines. Nostalgic video
To be fair for F-104, it was called widowmaker mostly in Germany, like japanese for example was pretty happy with it (they not really tried to use it as CAS)
This is one of the best missions uv done so far.You could feel the uncertainty and the intesity throughout.Keep it up👍👍
1.) I always love your videos.
2.) Actually ran into a gentleman wearing an American Murder Hornet shirt while vending at a con this past weekend. Was like, "Wait, you're a fan of Growling Sidewinder!"
very cool love hearing stories like that. Thank you for your support.
GS i love this sort of content, where you give a brief history if the plane then have a play with it in DCS.
The comedic timing right at the end. Couldn’t have written it any better lol
I got to see an F-104 in flight during the early 1980s. I was stationed at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego and a Starfighter in NASA livery would make occasional visits to the base. The roll-out on takeoff was always long, but once it was airborne, it would leave in a hurry. Pretty cool, actually.
The plane that almost killed Chuck Yeager.
The wee backstory to the plane prior to the gameplay was awesome. Would love to see that more in videos
Not just known as the Widowmaker but also as the world's most expensive lawn dart.
My dad flew the F104 (Belgium). There was a ball each year for his wing and there was every time an empty table with filled glasses at the dinner. These were for pilots who died flying the F104. Not during battle but malfunctions that were fatal. That's why it was called the widow maker.
The modmakers for this one knocked it out of the park.
I hope it becomes a full module.
Better than the nickname "Widowmaker" was another nickname given by the Germans: "Erdnagel" which roughly translates to "earth needle"
What’s German for “lawn dart”?
@rmiraflor probably something Like "Rasendart" oder "Rasenpfeil"
I love how the entire time GS was talking about the F-104's accident rate, the F-104 was shaking. I never realized it at first
Reminds me of one of my favorite memes...
Germany: USA, can you give me F-104?
USA: To intercept enemy aircraft?
Germany: Yeeeees.
(Actually uses it to attack ground targets like a boss.)
(Lawndart time)
best part about being so early, is that their are no spoilers in the comments because no ones been able to watch the whole video yet :]
Fascinating that the Dragon Lady (U-2) is based upon the F-104. Notice the almost identical fuselage; with the obvious radical departure in the 'wing department'.
I lived in arizona at the edge of the desert in the mid 60's when I was very young. I remember to this day the howl of those things ripping across the desert
Erich Hartmann himself was one of the voices against using this fighter in german air force. some sources say him butting heads with higher command caused his early retirement after returning to the west germany
Yes, that´s a Fact. Hartmann was against the 104, he didn´t get promoted like other WW2 Buddy´s from that Time after clashing with higher Ups....and nowadays everyone knows that Lockheed did bribe the Minister of Defence in West Germany at that Time which was Franz Josef Strauss from Bavaria. They did bribe a lot of Western Europe Nations....In Belgium the Royal Family was involved. It´s a History in History itself....
@@Wuestenkarsten damn didnt know it ran that deep.
@@Wuestenkarsten yeah Germany wanted the F4 as did the RCAF but political negotiating got in the way
Iive in the mountains of West Virginia, where logging is a huge industry.
The term "Widowmaker" refers to tree limbs that are dead, but still attached to the parent tree, which is a hazard to anyone beneath the tree, as they can detach and fall at anytime, without warning.
gs: the question is can it outrun a missile
*missile zipping closer*
the missile: now let me introduce myself
I love those mini documentary in the intro.... Mini docs no less...
The reason for the high number of fatal accidents was the poor slow speed handling when taking off/landing combined with downward ejecting seats.
Only the very early model 104’s had downward seats. Everything after them had upward seats.
By "downward ejecting" you mean the seat exited through the "floor" of the aircraft rather than upwards towards the canopy ? Jesus. Who thought that was a good idea ?
@@DrOneOneOne The Idea I think was that it would be safer for ejections based on technology at the time. So I think they were worried that during a high altitude high speed interception or something, if the pilot had to eject, based on current ejection seats, that he might hit the tail. So they had a downward ejection seat. They changed it out later though.
Good luck and energy for your spring and projects Peter! Fatique/burnout is no joke and kudos for you being open about that.
Lol, "Whats that... OHH!" 😄 It too got scared!
Thank you for another, as always, great video!
I gotta feeling that the mig is gonna win
Too
'They say the starfighter is really fast. The question is: can it outrun a missle? What is that...?' XDDD beautiful last words
Narrator: "It couldn't."
The last three videos were awesome Sidewinder!! Thanks!!
God Bless you all!!✝️🙏
So nice to see the "old" 104 in Richthofen Geschwader Paintjob! I saw it as a Kid regulary....
At least you did not have to wait long to get the answer to your final question. Hilarious! Great video!
Condolences to Mrs Sidewinder. That fighter lived up to its name.
13:37 - The moral of GS' stories when talking about missiles🤣🤣
In my inner eye I see the scene in the right stuff, when Chuck Yaeger is aiming to space in the F104 😎
“Can it out run a missile?”
Missile: “No.”
I love that the CIA literally put big wings on this thing and made one of the best surveillance planes of all time. Yes, the U-2 is literally the plane with the smallest wings, but with the biggest wings
The guns on these jets sound and feel so meaty. They really pack a punch.
"But can it outrun... A missile" -famous last words
Bro started pumping out videos on my fav jets like crazy first the gripen now the f104 noice
The Pakistan Air force also deployed F-104s and the Indians were terrified during the 1965 and 1971 wars to face it!
Most of the time those F-104s were facing much slower subsonic aircraft. The few clashes they had with MiG-21s didn't end favorably though.
@@Kay-51995 If you account common sense into this, there is a generation gap between Mig-21s and F-104s
@@Alpha-uo2rn there wasnt any TBH
They were analogues, both were introduced at same time
If anything 21 had worse a2a missiles with ccm being rear aspect only
@@Alpha-uo2rn Not really, they both came into service at about the same time (in the US/Russia that is). During these clashes India was using the F-13 and FL variants which were among the first models of MiG-21.
How do you go between every fighter in your videos?
In your own getting started video you said it takes days of reading before first flying.
When you first started did you take every modules training,or do you do multiple classes at once?
Many mods are simplified and are based on existing aircrafts making them quite easy to learn.
Your reactions before a missle hit you are priceless. Gj nice video
I love hearing that thing taxi. Never heard any other engine like it.
Deeply appreciate, especially the defensive countermeasures. Also learn something that sidewinders don't require the radar to be on so you're not giving yourself away. That's pretty slick. Also, all of these other aircrafts such as the Starfighter to the raptor I can't find to prioritize my next mods😢 maybe there's a special place I don't know. Maybe you can point me in the right direction. Love your videos I take them as training vids rather than entertainment. Deeply appreciated 👍 👊😎⚓🇺🇸⚓
Yeah, +1 on these history lesson - DCS fight mashups!!!
That "pop sound" @ 6:05 is soooo good
An official module would be epic as well
Joined the USAF in 82, older guys who had worked on the 104 called it the Lawn Dart.
13:45 is more drama than all the shows I've watched on Netflix in the past year combined