NF-104A "NF-756" and "NF-760" at Edwards AFB in May 1965

Three aircraft were modified from existing Lockheed F-104A airframes and served with the Aerospace Research Pilots School between 1963 and 1971.

Key Dates in development of the NF-104A by Lockheed

S/N 56-0756: USAF Aircraft Delivered to Lockheed (cn 1044) 17 September 1962
Aircraft Enter LCC Flight Test: 24 May 1963
First Flight: 10 August 1963
Aircraft returned to USAF: 29 October 1963
Captain J. Michael Loh (Class 67B) became the first ARPS student to fly an NF-104A rocket-powered zoom on 13 June 1968. Loh flew A/C 56-0756 to an altitude of 93,000 feet.

S/N 56-0760: USAF Aircraft Delivered to Lockheed (cn 1048) 06 September 1962
Aircraft Enter LCC Flight Test: 14 June 1963
First Flight: 13 September 1963
Aircraft returned to USAF: 30 October 1963
USAF Major Robert W. Smith zoomed the rocket-powered Lockheed NF-104A 56-0760 on 6 December 1963 to an unofficial record altitude of 120,800 feet.
This mark still stands as the highest altitude ever achieved by a United States aircraft from a runway take-off
On 20 December 1971, Major Ralph H. Graham (Class 71-A) became the last ARPS student to fly the NF-104A on a rocket-powered zoom mission when he took A/C 56-0760 to an altitude of 100,200 feet.

S/N 56-0762: USAF Aircraft Delivered to Lockheed (cn 1050) 20 August 1962
Aircraft Enter LCC Flight Test: 22 April 1963
First Flight: 09 July 1963
Aircraft returned to USAF: 25 October 1963

Contractor testing of the NF-104A began on 09 July 1963 using aircraft 56-0762. This testing consisted of a limited 42-flight Category I test program flown out of Palmdale, California (USAF Plant 42).
This testing involved functional checkout flights, stability and control evaluation, rocket motor performance, RCS evaluation, and rocket-powered zooms.
The contractor test pilot for the NF-104A was Jack F. Woodman, a former Canadian Air Force pilot. Woodman flew the majority of the Category I test flights.
The exceptions were 3 flights flown by Lockheed test pilot Eddie W. Brown and 4 flights by USAF Major Robert W. Smith, NF-104A Project Pilot.

copyright © Chris Baird