F-104D Starfighter - Dutton, Montana

F-104D Starfighter – Dutton, Montana - 01 July 2009. It seems this/any F-104D Starfighter is something of a rare bird. The F-104D entered operational service in November, 1958. Production ended in September 1959. They were phased out of active inventory in 1967.
The only new feature on the F-104D was the addition of a rear cockpit, a basic component to most trainers. To make room for the cockpit, the M-61 Vulcan cannon had to be removed.
A fighter trainer without a gun? This was during a period of temporary insanity during which the prevailing wisdom was future air-to-air combat would be an exercise in hosing off missiles at one’s adversary.
It occurs to me that the morning of 01 July 2009 was about the ONLY day I could have got this shot – with the sun lining up with the vertical stabilizer of the aircraft. . . Canon 5D w/24-60mm Sigma DG.