Douglas X-3 Stiletto

In article ,
"Byker" wrote:

"Stormin' Norman" wrote in message
...

On 12 Jun 2018 06:30:08 -0700, Miloch
wrote:

Although the research aircraft was a disappointment, Lockheed designers
used data from the X-3 tests for the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter which
used a similar trapezoidal wing design in a successful Mach 2 fighter.

A great example of how we learn more from our failures.

What, the X-3 or the F-104? https://tinyurl.com/y7h2vuq2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockhe...#Safety_record

https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2015/...ight-stuff-F-1
04-Starfighter
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The Lockheed F-104 was not a too bad design for what it was conceived
High altitude bomber interception. The Spanish Ejercito del Aire that
used it in this function was satisfied. But using it as a low-altitude
fighter bomber was criminal stupidity for the BundesLuftwaffe. Political
reasons have motivated the choice and German pilots paid it with their
lives. A very bad joke at the time in Germany was "What is an optimist?
A Starfighter pilot who stop smoking so he will not die from cancer".
The problems for the Starfighters of BundesLuftwaffe were several : a
lot of new pilots with very little flying experience, a lot of new
maintenance men without experience of complex fighters, a lack of a
sufficient number of older experienced men (no flights between 1945 and
1956) to help the new one, an aircraft with an ejection seat conceived
for high altitude flight and totally inadapted to low altitude high
speed flight (corrected later). You add that the aircraft was used in a
role it was not conceived for, and you understand why the Starfighter
was known in Germany as the widow-maker.