  The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) completed its
first light flight in May of 2010 using the facility mid-infrared instrument
FORCAST. Since then, FORCAST has successfully completed thirteen science
flights on SOFIA. In this paper we describe the design, operation and
performance of FORCAST as it relates to the initial three Short Science
flights. FORCAST was able to achieve near diffraction-limited images for lambda
> 30 microns allowing unique science results from the start with SOFIA. We also
describe ongoing and future modifications that will improve overall
capabilities and performance of FORCAST.
