Is this what happens to surplus F-104's??

(Marc Reeve) wrote in message ...
Mark and Kim Smith wrote:

http://www.landspeed.com/

No ordinary surplus F-104 that - it was one of the Edwards chase planes
during the '50s and '60s. It was scheduled to be converted to an NF-104
(with the rocket engine and reaction thrusters) but was never actually
converted due to the program's cancellation.

The guy who's shooting for the land speed record says he's tried to keep
the fuselage mods to a minimum so it can easily be returned to flying
status after they're done.

Fuselage mods to a min is one thing, but look at the work done by
Thrust SSC (current record holder) and Spirit of America (who would
like to be the current record holder) - it's one thing creating a
place that travels at M1, but quite another making the thing STAY on
the ground. Thrust SSC was overbuilt and still took a pummelling from
shock waves. A wingless Starfighter sounds like long shot to me.

But having said that good luck to them!

David