YF-104A "52955" (55-2955) 1st flight at US Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB on February 17, 1956 YF-104A, construction number 183-1001, model 183-93-02, US serial number 55-2955, built by Lockheedfirst flight December 31, 1955; public roll-out on February 16, 1956; delivery date February 17, 1956; made its first flight at Edwards AFB on February 17, 1956 with Lockheed test pilot Herman "Fish" Salmon at the controls Reached Mach 2 on February 28, 1956, becoming the first fighter aircraft capable of double-sonic speed in level flight; written off April 25, 1957 after a crash after a too hard landing at Edwards AFB on runway 25 the nose was broken off though behind the cockpit, right main gear collapsed and the plane skidded, left gear collapsed, no fire; pilot Jack "Suitcase" Simpson, a civilian engineering test pilot, abandoned the aircraft with no injuries. On April 25, 1957 pilot Jack "Suitcase" Simpson, a civilian engineering test pilot, made a flight to test the effectiveness of various flap settings during 1 "G" stall approaches The aircraft got the nickname "Apple Knocker" around January 1957. copyright © Lockheed archive
