Lockheed test pilots and engineers – standing before one of their employer’s latest products, the F-104 Starfighter – pose alongside their West German counterparts from the newly reformed Luftwaffe. Most notable in this group is World War II German ace Walter Krupinski (197 victories). He flew the F-104, declared it fantastic, and thus began a decades-long relationship with the Luftwaffe and the Starfighter.
The photo is signed by legendary Lockheed test pilot Bob Matye, a man who flew just about anything Lockheed came up with.
The Starfighter in the background is actually a YF-104 early bird 55-2964. It crashed on 2 November, 1959.
Note: Several names are misspelled on the back of the photo, including Krupinkski’s. Also, the name of test pilot James “Jake” Holliman (killed piloting an F-104 in June 1958).
The Jive Bomber 