WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A legendary military aircraft is being restored at the Cosmosphere.
The SpaceWorks team, the restoration division of the museum, has made a name for itself since its inception in 1988 by restoration projects like the Mercury spacecraft Liberty Bell 7, recovered from the ocean; the Apollo XIII Command Module Odyssey; and F-1 engine parts, which were recovered from the ocean floor in 2013.
The restoration team has now begun work on one of the United States military’s most important early combat fighters: the F-104 Starfighter.
Entering service in 1958, the F-104A set a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph, and on Dec. 14, 1959, the F-104C set a world altitude record of 103,395 feet. It was the first aircraft to simultaneously hold world records for speed, altitude and time to climb. Originally used as an interceptor and fighter, it took on new life as a fighter-bomber during the Vietnam War before being retired in favor of the F-4 Phantom II…