General Electric tunnel test with F-104A 60763

The F-104 was designed to use the General Electric J79 turbojet engine, fed by side-mounted intakes with fixed inlet cones optimized for supersonic speeds.
Unlike some supersonic aircraft, the F-104 did not have variable-geometry inlets. Its thrust-to-drag ratio was excellent, allowing a maximum speed well in excess of Mach 2.

The initial assembly of 56-763 was finished on July 18, 1957 and accepted by the US Air Force on August 26, 1957. August 29, it was delivered directly to the General Electric test-site at Edwards Air Force Base.
With this testgroup it was used for testing the J79-7 engine until March 1958 when it was given to the AFFTC at Edwards. In March 1962 it returned back with General Electric for accelerated service tests on the J79-3B engine version.
The aircraft got dayglow areas painted and also nickname "Queenie II" replacing the former General Electric Starfighter 56-742.

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