What did the phrase "banking with intent to turn" mean among F-104 pilots?

A Canadian pilot coined the humorous expression "Banking with intent to turn" in reference to the F-104's poor performance in low-speed turns. The phrase circulated among Canadian pilots when discussing the fighter's low-speed handling and wryly described its limited turning ability in that regime.

The F-104's wing was extremely thin, with a thickness-to-chord ratio of only 3.36%. Its leading edges were so thin (0.016 in / 0.41 mm) and sharp that they posed a hazard to ground crew. To counter one of the effects of that configuration, the wings were mounted angled downward, with 10° of anhedral. NACA tested a model of the F-104 in a wind tunnel to assess its stability and found that the aircraft became increasingly unstable at high angles of attack.

The aircraft's sustained turn capability was described as poor, with some calling it "more like a milk delivery truck than a fighter." That limitation stemmed from the wing design: its excellent acceleration and climb characteristics came at the cost of turning performance.