We take the Lockheed F104 Starfighter for a test flight from Edwards Air Force Base, and explore the sound barrier investigating the methods required first to break the sound barrier (not as obvious as it may seem), and then the parameters within which you can approach the typical maximum operating conditions of the aircraft up around Mach 1.85.

Yes, the F104 can do Mach 2+ on paper, but not in a straight and level flight, and the margins become increasingly narrow in terms of the engine, the airframe, and the envelope in which those numbers are possible.

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