A children's story Once upon a time there was a little Starfighter that loved to take his favorite boy Mark flying high and fast. Fly, Li'l Starfighter, Fly! Nothing made the little F-104 happier than to zoom and roll through the stratosphere. Zoom, Li'l Starfighter, Zoom! Then one day, as the little Starfighter played at Mach one, a big bad Fulcrum appeared. The MiG-29 was flown by a very mean and nasty old man named Tony who did not like Starfighters. Before the little Starfighter could say hello, the big bad MiG had slipped into the little Starfighter's six. Check Six, Li'l Starfghter, Check Six! Oh no! Too late! The big bad MiG launched two AA-11 missiles at Li'l Starfighter. The little F-104 was sure sorry now that he went out to play without bringing his flares. But there is still hope. If only the little Starfighter can turn the missiles might just miss. "I think I can turn. I think I can turn," grunted the little Starfighter under the Gs. Turn, Li'l Starfghter, Turn! Unfortunately, Mr. Johnson, the Li'l Starfighter's dad, forgot to give the little jet any wings. All the little F-104's energy was bled off dodging mean old Tony's missiles and the little Starfighter stalled. Mark got all banged up as the little F-104 tumbled and pitched. Its engine flamed out too! Relight, Li'l Starfghter, Relight! With a whoosh the little Starfighter's reliable J-79 engine restarted but by this time the big bad Fulcrum had achieved a low angle guns solution and, with an evil chuckle, the mean old Tony pressed the trigger and sawed the little F-104 into several flaming pieces. The Li'l Starfighter's shattered remains slammed into an innocent and normally happy village, obliterating an orphanage and a convent in a noxious fireball. The boy Mark was never seen again. Bummer, Li'l Starfghter, Bummer! (the end) Back to Table of Contents -- Air Power # 20 Back to Air Power List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1992 by J.D. Webster This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com