F-104N Starfighter c/n 4058 N813NA ca. 1966

With a name like Starfighter, F-104s were destined to serve NASA in the extreme regime of high-speed flight research. NASA flew Lockheed F-104 Starfighter aircraft in a wide variety of missions beginning in August 1956. Over the next 38 years, 11 were operated by NASA at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., with the last Starfighter flight taking place in February 1994.

3 F-104 Starfighters were built to the F-104N standard: model number 683C-NASA c/n 4045, 4053 and 4058 with registration N811NA, N812NA and N813NA. Originally assigned the aircraft numbers 011, 012 and 013, they would later be changed to 811, 812 and 813 in 1965.

They were built as F-104G's without the NASARR fire control radar. Ejection seats were F-104C standard C-2 models. Vehicles 011, 012, and 013 were initially painted in this flashy dayglo orange and yellow paint scheme with high polished natural aluminum elsewhere.

F-104N with registration N813NA modex 813 arrived on October 22, 1963 at Edwards, and was lost on June 8, 1966 in the collision with the XB-70 #2. Both aircraft were destroyed in the accident, the pilot of the F-104N Joseph A. Walker was killed in the accident. N813NA had made 409 flights at the time it was lost; replaced by NASA 820