CF-104D Starfighter 637 LN-STF | First ever display Sola 2018

[@klausgrimm8780]

I worked on this exact aircraft in Cold Lake alberta Canada in the late 70s......i am so grateful to see the old girl fly again

[@crippleabatteries5031]

Lmao nah

[@superskullmaster]

@@crippleabatteries5031 you clearly don’t realize how small the world of aviation is. Douche nozzle.

[@crippleabatteries5031]

@@superskullmaster you clearly don’t realize that everything you say is irrelevant, shit stain.

[@jakobkonradsen1248]

@States sertified skrt class Flyfag Bardufoss?

[@AugustusLarch]

Where they maintenance friendly machines? Or where you cross at times with the utilitarian side of the design.

[@hansvandijk1487]

The most beautiful plane ever built. Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@MrTimodon]

Reminds of the Lansen!

[@glenturney4750]

One of them. 👍

[@hansvandijk1487]

@@glenturney4750 Your favorite is...? Greetings 🖖.

[@MarcoAntonio-mf2ir]

Todo piloto de caça deveria lutar para conseguir pilotar esse mito, esse não é um caça é um interceptor e é preciso te msestria e experiência incomum para pilotalo! Esse avião tem alma!

[@dukecraig2402]

I was stationed in Germany in the mid 80's and the Luftwaffe was still flying these, they would buzz the countryside low, and I mean low, in those things, I'll never forget the sight of a pair of them roaring overhead with the Iron Cross on their tails, pretty impressive to an 18 year old.

[@CJP-oz6hr]

Stationed at Hahn AB 79-82... Germany,Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Canadians.. all flying the F-104. Would help Transient Alert turn them a few times. F-4E crew chief at the time. Just started converting to F-16A’s when I left.

[@Siggy4844]

I grew up in Mannheim, Germany and I was used to them flying over, heard their sonic booms all the time. Sadly there were also lots of Starfighter crashes in the 60s and 70s. But I loved seeing and hearing them. I met my now Ex-husband in 1981 when he was stationed with the US-Army in my hometown. Mannheim used to have 15 US military bases then (all closed now) and it's close to Heidelberg, Frankfurt and Kaiserslautern (what the GIs call K-Town).

[@waywardson6161]

Stationed at Hahn 88-90 the italians were still flying them.

[@billb7876]

Laarbruch early 80s Bruggen late 80s, 6 year holiday with plenty of interesting aeroplanes thrown in lol

[@AYtoSEE]

Amazed that it's short, thin wings can generate enough lift to get airborne!

[@richardj.ferrisf9153]

thanks for this video, i'm Italian , and the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) used this fantastic plana for 46 year ! My house is near Istrana AB ,and i remember all the summers clinging to the airport net to see this fantastic plane listening to its howl, 51 air wing, now with the eurofighter 2000 typhoon . I hope, like many others here in Italy, that the experimental flight department in Rome will put one in service to remind all the passionate people here of the fantastic plane it was!

[@MrTimodon]

But i understand that this plane killed more good guys than the enemy?

[@bergomynkia]

@@MrTimodon - Directly? Of course. First fact : because fortunatly we haven't made war so only friend dead during training. But indirectly, if we didn't made war is also because we had fast plane could intercept bombers, spy airplanes, and it was excellent also for nuclear strike attack. So nobody tryed made war against us. Second fact: this airplane has unbelivable perfomance in 1960 for this low technology, that means it required unbelivable training also. Because exceptionary performance and low technology is equal exceptional skills and precise way to drive it. While same performance with modern technology means airplane is more simple to pilot. Moreover F-104 needs exceptionary respect for maintenance and spec during build component. This level of attention for airplane was unknow in Europe because we usually used less performance airplane. This required totally change of mentality to training, to pilot and to maintain. Specially in Germany they didn't understand this. Their pilots needed more training. Italy and other country had rate death/year usual. In italy F-104 had a lot of defect until 1969 . After that, airplane was reliable.

[@miketeeveedub5779]

I'm old enough to remember when these flew for the (Royal) Canadian Air Force. You always knew when it was flying overhead, and no matter what you were doing, you stopped and turned your eyes skyward to catch a glimpse of this whistling silver spear! What a plane! A true testament to Kelly Johnson's genius!

[@joopbekkema6490]

That sound!! No aircraft ever before and ever again sounded this impressive

[@spitfirenutspitfirenut4835]

The sound is from the intakes.

[@TLTeo]

The howl of the J79 is amazing!

[@bret9741]

I’m a pilot, served in the Navy on Ike... during my time, it was f-4, f-14’s and at the end new game-18’s. I never thought much of the f-104. Our f-14’s and f-4’s didn’t have much trouble against the NATO F-104’s in exercises. I have a little over 8000 hours through 2008 when I lost my medical. I’ve heard just about every fighter built. The 104’s sound is my favorite. After spending more time learning about the aircraft, I know hold it in much higher regard. I particularly like the sound of the latter J-79’s

[@spitfirenutspitfirenut4835]

It's the intakes that make the howl, not the engine.

[@anels9]

Amazing video, well filmed. The f104 is amazing

[@mangore623]

No one, absolutely no one, clicks on a Starfighter video, and is disheartened that there is no music.

[@josiahricafrente585]

mangore623 Not entirely sure what you meant; but I’ll like it anyway😂 But just so I’m on the same page as you, what did you mean?

[@josiahricafrente585]

OptimalOptimus50 oh

[@bobmcrae5751]

Who gets butt hurt over some music. Ridiculous.

[@KutWrite]

Convolutely written, but I agree.

[@jasong5163]

When you meme but its KZbin

[@tonerotonero1375]

Such a beautiful bird. Thanks to all the people who spend their spare time keeping this legend it alive and make any airplane enthusiast dream. These cold war machines are so demanding and so precious now. A lot of work has been done for sure. Congratulations.

[@ArktikosAdventures]

Some of the best years of my life were working at Bodø MAS. I've had the honor of launching out Eskil a number of times while he ferried 16's to Kjeller and having the CC as my "boss" for over 8 years. The assistant CC I never new too well but I have worked with him a few times and remember when he was a "greenhorn". I also had the honor of turning a few wrenches on this bird as well but only when it was a low-key project with retirees. Goodtimes and fanstastic vid. Cheers!

[@chrispotter3324]

It’s hard to wrap one’s head around the fact that the 104 first flew in 1956 and was in service from 1958-2004!

[@brain8484]

The only thing the F104 has in common with modern military aircraft is that it can fly .

[@ukspizzaman]

@@brain8484 And I could still fly if we were hit by an EMP. Would not matter much to it.

[@Ben-mw9vz]

@@ukspizzaman Actually, there were quite a few electronics on these. You could still fly without them; but good luck landing safely or firing missiles.

[@Warrior_Pilgrim]

@@brain8484 the only thing in common modern military aircraft have with modern military aircraft is that they can fly.

[@beauniekerk1884]

Please keep her alive. She is so graceful.

[@andrewe3165]

I hope no pilots die

[@gowdsake7103]

If you think graceful is fast with no style turning ability and chucking out shit then yes

[@Useaname]

@@gowdsake7103 says the turd playing space invaders in his basement.

[@gowdsake7103]

@@Useaname Says the person that has had 9 years in the Royal Navy and 10 in electronics . The Starfighter was a bag of shit that killed ! Its a bag of shit that even the insane Yanks would not buy

[@moonbear2130]

gowd sake it was a designed as an interceptor, get high get fast (near mach 2) and boom and zoom Soviet bombers. That’s what it’s intended purpose was, it didn’t need to turn because it wasn’t made to, it doesn’t take an engineer to look at those stubby wings with an utter lack of control surfaces to tell it was not a turn fighter. This also meant it would stall very quickly when low heavy and slow, which is exactly the configuration the west German Luftwaffe used them in, this paired with the fact that these had ejection seats that shot the pilot out the bottom instead of the top (which wouldn’t be a problem with a high altitude fast interceptor which it was) as well as the fact that these pilots were not properly trained and were not familiar with this very unique aircrafts stall characteristics made this a death trap, but it has absolutely nothing to do with it being a bad aircraft. If you put a dozen AMRAAMs on an A-10, does that mean it will be a good fighter? When it starts getting shot down in droves would you blame that A-10? Of course not. This was also the fault of Lockheed for bribing the Luftwaffe into purchasing this aircraft to use for low level bombing, which also means low speeds. So, it’s heavy, it’s slow, it’s low, the pilots are not well trained, it’s an interceptor not a bomber, what do you expect to happen? Don’t hate the aircraft because it was used the wrong way

[@lilianahenry4572]

As an ex-member of the RCAF, you make me very proud of the Canadian CF-104 and the men who flew them. Thank you again for all your work and dedication. Enjoy her. I am very envious.

[@denofearthundertheeverlast5138]

That is a beautiful jet, I just love how it looks and the way she carries herself down the runway and even sitting still, but especially in the air.

[@alpaytatli590]

The most beautiful fighter... This video takes me back 30 years ago when I started my career in air force. Then these beauties were flying in the sky and howling like a wolf... Old things were much better, missing those days 🥺🚬

[@jeanmariebalaes1137]

I can remember the howl of these amazing beasts when they used to fly over Belgium in the sixties.

[@glenturney4750]

They burn a little dirty though. Too bad they couldn't find a cleaner burning fuel, then it would be harder to see it for the enemies when in the sky. 😁

[@patrickvancaelenberg8374]

FABULOUS !!! Many thanks for posting this video. There were 101 Lockheed F104 Starfighter in Belgium when I was a teenager... A long time ago ...

[@pauloostergo5241]

Beautiful aircraft. The 104 has been a favourite of mine forever and its great to see one flying again.

[@zaktabak4460]

Beautiful footage of a beautiful aircraft! Love the 104 since I was a little kid...When I see and hear her, I'm that little kid again...Just love it!

[@thomasr.bartonjd7815]

It is so sad that the Luftwaffe of the early 60's chose to employ this fighter at a high tempo and at low altitude with relatively inexperienced pilots. their subsequent high loss rate led to its being labeled as the 'widow maker' and other names. had the Luftwaffe chosen the route taken by the Spanish and Italian air forces with more experienced pilots and more training and maintenance for low level flights the whole starfighter legacy would be different.. of course it still turned like a truck and accelerated like a rocket! undeniably gorgeous and thrilling even standing still.

[@sanderwage1730]

My dad loves it since he was watching them as a kid the haul of the Starfigther is truly awesome i love the Starfigther to

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@thomasr.bartonjd7815 The Widow maker or Tent peg in Germany, Flying coffin in Italy, 50 % lost in Canada, USAF losses were rather bad too.

[@thomasr.bartonjd7815]

@@barrierodliffe4155 the Spanish air force had much better results due to flying more intercept missions in much better atmospheric conditions and and limiting low altitude bombing runs in scope, tempo and weather. Cheers.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@thomasr.bartonjd7815 The Spanish only used theirs in perfect conditions and it does rain in Spain sometimes, they also soon got rid of them and used other aircraft. I do not call that good results. I can just imagine a war and an attack on a cloudy day, the air force having its aircraft sat on the ground and the pilots saying "how dare they attack us on a day like this, it really is not fair."

[@hiredgun05]

There are only a few military fighting airplanes that I love to look at...... P51, T38, F4, L39, F14, F15, and the F104 STARFIGHTER! There are only about a half dozen (F104) still flying in North America, and maybe another three or four being restored here. And now there is one more! There are so few of each still with us. And every time someone brings one of these ladies back to life, it makes me smile! All I can do is say, "THANK YOU" and hope to watch you build a fleet of them!

[@bobbofuggetaboutit639]

Thumbs up to the pilot. What an incredible experience it must be. One of the finest designs to come out of Lockheed. I will always love that aircraft.

[@siddokis2945]

I remember fishing on the French river with my family in the 70's. Getting buzzed by these as they would practice low flying manouevers. We wouldn't hear them until they were right on top of us, then wham, I'll never forget our own little private air shows. I can still hear those amazing engines, very impressive.

[@mattbates6887]

It's absolutely brilliant to see the Starfighter flying again in this video. I will never forget when the Viking Starfighter team put on a fantastic high speed display at the RAF Greenham Common air show, during one very hot summer's day back in the late 70's. Great job to all concerned for getting the Starfighter flying again, it's been sadly missed.

[@johncrowe5706]

I loaded missles and ammo on the f-104 on Homestead AFB in 1969. It was an awesome aircraft. Its design gave it the feature of thrust over drag.

[@TachyonDriver]

What a beautiful display of this gorgeous old bird! The mournful howl of the "blue note" from the intakes... the raw power of the J79.. the hot-rod rocketship good looks despite her being a two-seater. Wonderful! Thanks.

[@RahulSengupta07]

absolute amazing to see it flying again ! thanks a ton to Starfighter Association and men/women who fixed her to fly high again ... wish to see more vintage cold war birds flying in coming years ,,,

[@josephcunningham3448]

I am a air force brat originally. from Baden Baden Germany my dad was a 104 pilot and me and my mother both went to drop him off and watch him and the take offs straight up off the run way straight up and through the clouds in seconds gone. in the 60,s it was ahead of its time twice the speed of sound . and the men that fly them should have a special place in Canadian history as being truly the cold war Canadian fighter pilots achieving moch 2 and reaching 60.000 thousand feet.

[@johnnyliminal8032]

My dad told me some pilots couldn’t hack the treetop mission in that thing, kudos to your father. Those PMQs were home, and cool. Two pillow cases of candy on Halloween, weirdo teen hippie wannabes at Teen Town, jumping bikes at the trench in the forest, endless exploring and slings and bow and arrows and sometimes winter sledding down that bunker. Summer vacations through all those countries, flood pants and short hair. I cried for a week on coming back to Canada, from culture shock once school started lol. 4-Wing was a time warp. Cheers. Edit: various.

[@walhalladome5227]

I remember the district sound of its engines, this high pitch sound, when I was a kid living under one of the flight paths. It was either a Mirage or the Starfighter. Mid 70's it was over as they were all replaced by the then new F16's.

[@Sajuuk]

Fun fact: 9 out of 10 videos are ruined by the music track...videos like this one.

[@peterjensen3162]

Nikodemus Sajuukhaar agree, but actually there are soundtrack to the live air shows too, really annoying.

[@animaltvi9515]

I was thinking exactly the same thing. What's with the dam music all the time . Try watching yank air display videos. All I've seen ruined by poxy music .

[@gnteichrib1]

In 1982 I flew in 639 when I was 16 years old. I flew with 417 Fighter/Operational Training Squadron at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. "My" 104, CF104639D to be exact, was used for battle damage repair training in Germany in 1983 and then scrapped. The worst thing about this video is that the back seat is empty!

[@arodrigues2843]

@get to the Choppaa ????????!?!!!

[@ve5uo]

GT, how did you get to fly in one at 16? Was it as an Air Cadet?

[@gnteichrib1]

@@ve5uo Yes, I was the top cadet on the 1982 National Air Cadet Senior Leaders Course at CFB Cold Lake.

[@ve5uo]

@@gnteichrib1 Awesome! I was at Senior Leaders in 1981. Great memories!

[@TheModelGuy]

The cadet program now isn’t even close to what it was in those days.

[@mtssman]

Hello from Taiwan, somewhere used to be the biggest operator of F-104 in the world. The howling of J79 brings back some very fond memories and it is always a pleasure to see an example that is still soaring. The music is a bit of shame but I applaud to your video still. Many Thanks for your upload.

[@danniles5256]

F104...looks damn good...nice video

[@fredboat]

It looks fast just parked , Enjoyed the video,

[@westenbergerstephan5955]

Well done - congratulations - great work. I was working as a service man in the German Airforce and I had the honor to take parts of this J1K engine into the Phantom J79!

[@Buddha-eb5yl]

I was working in the JaBo G 34 in Memmingerberg since 1984 - 1988 ! The best Jet ever - Starfighter F 104 😇😇👍👍👍😎

[@dad5650]

One of the best Starfighter vids I've seen!

[@maximillianvermontsuperbik2624]

This is art, and possibly the most beautiful thing that ever took to the air, thank you for sharing.

[@martinabest5801]

This brings back so many memories of my years posted at CFB Cold Lake in the late '70's - early '80's. Some of the commentators mention the scream of the engine. Just wait until external temperatures hits -30 to -40 C, that's when those engines really screech. Yes we also called it a widowmaker. My first assignment at CFB Cold Lake as a young Private was to assist a board of enquiry on a CF-104 crash. Those photos will haunt me for the rest of my life, particularly those of the remains of the pilot at the accident site.

[@kevdupuis]

Was posted to Cold lake until the Great Hog Hop, still wear my 417 sqn patches. I miss Ms Piggy.

[@aboversite]

Yeah I worked for the Alberta Forest Service in the 70s. We had a firefighting air tanker base at the old SAC site. I used to sit on top of the mud tanks and watch them take off in tandem. A great spectacle. Worked on a few fires in the Air Weapons Range that resulted from crashes too. Very unforgiving at low altitude by all accounts.

[@robertboykin1828]

I know the feeling, did a few crash pick-up details in Big Springs Tx. Aint nuthin like the smell of burnt human blood.

[@alpearson9158]

FOR ME IT WAS THE EARLY SIXTIES WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVED AT COLD lAKE , ODD BUT EVEN THE 5:30 AM WAKE UPS FROM THOSE SCREAMING ENGINES STILL HAUNTS ME

[@Ziebenator63-jj9ej]

Probably my fave Cold War interceptors of all time! The Missile With a Man in it. Freaking gorgeous!!

[@loboheeler]

Thrill of my life seeing an F-104 fly when they were new at a big military airshow in 1958 when I was a kid. Long takeoff, wheels up at about 30 ft. up, afterburner turned on, and it shot up fully vertical like a rocket! Have heard no other fighter could do that until the F-15. Also remember the plastic wing edge guards they had on the ground, which I have been told were standard military issue and not just for shows.

[@ronboe6325]

When I was kid in Duluth, we had the F-104 at our air shows - no edge guards. I felt the leading edge, not as sharp as a butter knife, but you would not want to bounce your head off of it.

[@Wopayne]

I watched a modified F4 do a vertical right off the runway at TUL in about 1990 ...

[@mk6315]

Such a beautiful aircraft. Glad you’re taking care of her!

[@crippleabatteries5031]

🛩💥🏙🔥

[@frankcrawford416]

They took these to what 104,000 feet. Very cool. I want one now!

[@williamsimmons152]

108

[@scupking]

The best sounding fighter! The sound gives her a personality!

[@Nana-rk2xn]

👌

[@ottoleisering7855]

In my humble opinion, the F104 is the most beautiful/elegant aircraft ever flown. I was 32 when I saw my first one out on the tarmac in San Diego. The wings were so thin that they taped red and yellow banners on it so ground crew wouldn't hurt themselves by walking/driving into them.

[@Yosemite-George-61]

I think the most beautiful and elegant title goes to the Concorde... however in the fighter plane world maybe... makes kids dream that's for sure!

[@brucerideout9511]

I grew up with RCAF as a child and I will always cherish the moments near the airside in Trenton and Baden and Lahr.

[@ThePaulv12]

Turn up the music a bit more will ya? I can still hear the bloody engine.

[@BarbosaUral]

Truly a magnificent airplane! The 104, F8 Crusader and B58 Hustler are my 3 favorites jets. Congrats to the Friends of the Starfighter Association for getting her back into the air!

[@mchristr]

Lockheed to GE: We're designing a new interceptor and need the J79. GE: Of course you'll need two per airframe. Lockheed: Nope, we only going to use one. GE: Well...the performance will be lacking. Lockheed: One will be sufficient. The airplane will be...uh, small.

[@Nosloveingneko]

Germany: INTERCEPTOR??? You mean ground attack aircraft!

[@elwiswaciakowski3611]

Kelly Johnson`s genius

[@cryx4]

@@Nosloveingneko So vat you're saying is you've designed a very fast high altitude interceptor? ahhhh, strap 7500kg of bombs on it and ve have a deal

[@lohikarhu734]

@@elwiswaciakowski3611 and, to my surprise, be used it as the 'core' to build the U2 in such a short time!

[@elwiswaciakowski3611]

@@lohikarhu734 true! an engineering masterpiece

[@allanradcliffe6204]

Remember the whistle well!! Thank you for posting. From Canada

[@alvinbarkl7173]

I was A crew chief on TF104G for Lockheed ,German pilot training,LukeA.F.B. Arizona,1966-1974.Great video ,brings back many memories!!!!

[@billgund4532]

My dad was an IP at Luke from 1964-1970 (with a year vacation in Vietnam]. He absolutely loved flying the 104. As a teenager, it was a thrill to watch those birds in the pattern.

[@herbertwolters7130]

Hello Mr. Barkl, do you perhaps remember a German pilot named Karl Heinz Brockmann, who trained you? He was the brother of an old friend.

[@larrysmith1568]

I was TDY at Luke first few months of 69 while installing a CPN 4 mobile rapcon. If I remember correctly one of the German 104s went down during that period.

[@fje1948]

Beautiful!!!! Watched again 2023, still beautiful….Thank you!

[@DarthYryn]

One of the most magnificent aircraft ever made. Good job to them.

[@Sven_76]

Couldn't agree more

[@bigcity2085]

No it wasn't. It was a train wreck.

[@debratrinity7701]

Loved these beautiful little beast's best sounds you ever heard

[@patrickbateman7444]

No, it was absolute garbage. The greatest figher pilot of all time, Erich Hartmann, got fired from the Luftwaffe because he said it was garbage after flying it. Surprise, he was proven right.

[@sergionatali3071]

One of the most beautiful videos on the F104.

[@syorukel]

F-104 doesn't need a background music; it makes its own music... Othewise a nice video.

[@tonyblue2023]

My grandfather flew these out of Comox, BC air base and I was able to sit in one. Love the nostalgia

[@Bill23799]

I saw West German Air Force flying F-104 fighters many times when I was stationed there serving in the US Army in the early 80's.

[@plumeriap7281]

I watched the first video of a museum airplane flying.Thank you. from Japan

[@billgund4532]

I've watched this video several times and for the most part the music was not that intrusive. And kudos to the guy that did the video. Superb job!

[@kavehoskoui8292]

You strap a man on jet engine and put on tiny wings! I am amazed how it managed to fly! Beautiful bird!

[@Republic3D]

The world's only manned missile.

[@denaharbison1295]

But the mig 21

[@frankthomas855]

Thanks for keeping her flying. She's beautiful!

[@1CAG]

That smile when Eskil starts taxiing to the runway! Great work on the video!

[@antonioescobar6413]

One of the hardest aircraft to fly ....it’s like a nail with mini wings....you have to be one hell of a pilot ,beautiful aircraft.

[@Timothy-lb2vr]

The F-104 was designed as an interceptor not a dog fighter or ground attack aircraft, as such it’s maneuvering envelope was very limited. The German Air Force lost a large number of pilots and the plane was grounded years ago until the pilots could be retrained in the proper use of this ballistic weapon.

[@trailingrails9953]

What a gorgeous aircraft, and they couldn't have chosen a more fitting name to go with the looks. It may not have been very effective in combat, but it sure was gorgeous, and that howl of the J79 is pure auditory bliss.

[@Tbonyandsteak]

Yeah so fast it could reach the stars

[@Sasquatch-Press]

Thanks. It is nice to see one of these old birds restored and flying.

[@paladin0654]

Great video, thanks. What's really interesting about the 104 is that Kelly Johnson included diverterless intakes way before anyone else. There are some throttle settings that make the J-79 howl like no other jet; love the sound.

[@KutWrite]

Well, the F-4, right?

[@Thecrazyvaclav]

The Vulcan howl is awesome

[@scottstrang1583]

That engine spinning down sounded so fine.

[@losteroni]

Incredible performance ! Capable of 1,528 mph ; combat range 420 mi ; max range 1,630mi.

[@mason7778]

My favorite Jet plane 😍 a F104 passed by in ca. 100m over my house in Italy 😎😍😍👍👍👍 What a screaming sound!! 💪

[@alexandrossotiropoulos5621]

This bird has also flybywire system to add more stability due to the small wings. She is improved.

[@PhillMagGamerDad]

Even the 2-seater is a beauty!

[@JW-de3wk]

so,F-104 still fly in 2018....great!!!

[@wingracer1614]

They were still in active service in some countries as late as 2004

[@pork_friedrice]

F-104 can not be mistaken for any other aircraft. One of the most beautiful ever built. The quality of your footage was incredible, well done!

[@michaelburke750]

I lost an “Uncle” back in ‘67 or ‘68 to a star fighter crash, he lost his hydraulics and hit the ground at over 650mph according to the Air Force reports. He was a family friend, he used to give me Dentyne gum all the time. That is my memory of this aircraft.

[@michaelluca6004]

Sounds like the Uncle every kid would love to have. I'm sorry for your loss. He must have been one "Shit Hot" Pilot. Not everyone gets to drive a 104.

[@JayVee73]

Next day was Aalborg. I knew it would not continue forever so we went to Aalborg from Belgium. It was rainy but man oh man it was worth it.

[@Pincer88]

Beautiful video on a much underrated aircraft. Back in the day when the RNLAF had the F-104G I never thought much of this fighter. But as soon as the F-16's took over I kind of missed the characteristic howling and the tell tale smoke coming out of the J-79 engine. A great thing you guys have brought one back into flying condition. In the Netherlands a group of enthusiasts are doing their best to bring one back to life as well. Wouldn't that be a sight to see, yours and the Dutch flying in formation together one day? Best wishes!

[@barrierodliffe4155]

The howling being by the pilots just before they hit the ground.

[@mrFalconlem]

Underrated? Lol

[@Pincer88]

@@mrFalconlem Yes underrated. In the right hands and using smart tactics F-104Gs of the RNLAF even managed to defeat F-14 Tomcats. Its reputation as a widowmaker is somehow inherent to the Luftwaffe experience; other allied air forces had less problems with it OK, it wasn't a turn and burn fighter. But as an interceptor and strike platform it did reasonably well. I know a few Dutch former Starfighter jocks and they say it was pretty decent for the time. It boils down to pilot training, mindset and mission I guess.

[@ihnew786]

Pakistan Air Force flew starfighters in 60s and 70s with great success and maintained air superiority over India in two wars. Beautiful jet. Thanks for the demo. Cudos to the maintenance team.

[@fransschmitz2628]

I remember as a young kid, we went to the military airbase in Volkel near Eindhoven in the Netherlands. We got an excursion there, and we where allowed to stand next to the runway (100 meters) where one of these starfighters took of... such a tremendous loud noise I never ever heard again, that was awesome!

[@Joe11Blue]

My first ever airshow I watched one do a low level buzz of the airfield at full throttle. The feeling of the air vibrating in my lungs is still with me to this day. Still my favorite bird I have ever seen in real life.

[@Republic3D]

Virkelig artig å se Starfighteren fly igjen. Takk for video med god kvalitet.

[@chrismoody1342]

Great video. Kinda hard to believe we were doing Mach 2.1 just 10 years after WW2. 103,000 ft; that’s 19.5 miles up there. I heard testimony from a 104 pilot that at 80,000 ft they cut the engine and coasted there rest of the way to 103. 🇺🇸

[@chrishudson747]

Bloody excellent. Well done, the culmination of a great deal of hard work, I have no doubt.

[@grandfathergeek]

The f104 and the b58 hustler - the 2 most perfect looking aircraft ever made.

[@hiredgun05]

Lets not forget the F4 Phantom and the F14 Tomcat. Those are also nearly perfect and very pleasing to the eye!

[@dgris7944]

F86 Sabre?

[@DrPommels]

F-111 in full sweep....

[@myfavoritemartian1]

A wonderful aircraft. Keep it flying! From Arizona/USA

[@pedrom.rodriguez6175]

Why the music? What better music than the one the J79 is singing!

[@MrTiti]

the whole aircraft isnt that good. but the crew is a FAIL. so they need music.

Litterally everything is better music than the rumble of a jet engine. I'd be even happier, if they muted it completely. The engine sound just distracts from the magnificent beauty of the aircraft in her environment.

[@bigdawg2246]

@ the sound is just apart of the beauty of the jet

@@bigdawg2246 Respectfully, I disagree. To me the sound is incidental, it just is; if it were possible, I'd be very happy to never hear a jet engine at all and just take in the actual visual (kinetic, if you will) beauty.

[@bigdawg2246]

@ I completely understand your point of view as I have thought the same thing before but I now personally love the whistles and rumbles of jet engines

[@365cid]

I had a ride in the rearseat of a Mustang P51D with this pilot. Eskil Amdal, a trip into the Lysefjord, and with a pass over my cabin where my vife was. Awesome ride..

[@timmayer8723]

Had the opportunity to get a hands on look at one of the F-104s stationed at Edwards Air Force base in the low desert area of Southern California back in the early sixties. Our air guard squadron often flew to Edwards for rifle practice and spent the day touring the flight line. My favorite plane was the F-104. While parked they had sheathes placed over the leading edge on both wings, painted red and flagged to make sure the sheaths are removed before flight. The wings were installed with a considerable sag from root to tip. With wing tip fuel tanks the wings appeared to sag even more. The leading edge of the wings were sharp enough to cut deep if you walked into the unsheathed leading edge. They were a separate piece from the body of the wing. My guess they were made of titanium. The nose of the plane was very close to the ground, while the jet exhaust actually canted upward several degrees. The cockpit was tight in all its dimensions. It was shaped more like a pod. The fuselage was shaped like a 50 caliber bullet with wings. There are stories of the plane being faster than the rounds it fired and sustaining damage from their own weapon. Maybe, maybe not. Over its active lifetime the F-104 broke a number of flight world records. Top speed was the most interesting. Time to 50,000 ft record was next. It was not a plane to do fancy maneuvers or dog fights. It took off, climbed at a 60* angle to its assigned elevation, fire various misses at its assigned targets and return to earth. The Lockheed skunk works out in Palmdale California focused on speed and acceleration as were the requirements set forth from the Air Force. The F-104 was quite possibly the most modified air frame to go into limited production. Many countries wanted this manned missile but with certain mods. Lockheed did its best to twist and turn the numbers from which the airframe was designed to satisfied foreign governments. Lockheed is in the business of selling airplanes and when the F-104 sales to Uncle Sam began to slack off , other foreign customers became more important and F-104s started to fall out of the sky's across the world. It was not a plane for the untrained or unskilled or faint of heart. Most foreign government F-104 squadrons racked up unacceptable losses. Germany comes to mind. It became known as 'the widow maker'.

[@michaelluca6004]

My Dad used to tell me the German pilots lacked the proper skill to fly the 104. It was a bullet with a cockpit.

[@slicer819]

Brought back great memories of the Vikings at IAT Greenham Common and the Canadians at Mildenhall. If only the RAF would put a Phantom back in the air! No hope unfortunately. Thanks for the ride.

[@robertzeurunkl8401]

Still one of my favourite looking jets. Pretty cool *sounding* jet too. The F-104 had a reputation of being a "widowmaker" due to unstable low speed maneuverability. It's purpose was, after all, as an interceptor, not a dog-fighter. You can kind of see that in this video. It's definately not as nimble as, say, an F-4. It's job was to get missiles from the ground up to an incoming Soviet bomber as fast as possible. I was a NORAD Weapons Controller in the early 80's, and the 104 was out of service then, but I did run a number of missions with F-106s intercepting TU-95 Delta "Bear" bombers during that time.

[@dennisdarling1054]

I have been to many airshows over the years, but no other fighter jet has ever done a better vertical take off then the one I saw at the Ottawa International airshow in the mid seventies, and that includes the f-22 f-18 f-16 and f-15. The 104 went vertical as soon as the wheels left the tarmac and continued into clear blue sky completly out of sight ...wow!

[@Timothy-lb2vr]

I believe the F-104 was capable of vertical climbs from the runway up to and beyond 50,000 ft.

[@augustomachete1715]

Beautiful airplane. Thanks for sharing.

[@dd.greenefilms2598]

Great Capture and Nice video.

[@evkienlin]

Great footage, thanks for that. Great to see that beauty flying again. J79 howling sound is great ...no need for additional music next time.

[@TimmyBoyAZ]

My dad has over 5,000 hours in the 104 and one of his favorite assignments was as an exchange pilot at CFB Baden Solingen in the mid-70s with the 439 Tigers. In my opinion, the best paint scheme on the greatest plane in the century series.

[@D0csavage1]

What a beautiful aircraft. With it's sculpted lines. From the mind of man, crafted by human hands. Beats the digital computer hard drive and robot arm of modern designed aircraft any day.

[@Platos-Den]

I have to say this is one of better or best video on the F104 I have seen.

[@ifmbm332b]

When kids do drawings of cool airplanes, they all seem to be drawing Starfighters.

[@nakdad]

Timothy Szabo true

[@crippleabatteries5031]

Eh

[@steveshoemaker6347]

What a super cool plane still got my spures ! thanks for the video 4K !!!

[@massmanute]

The coolest looking aircraft ever... the Jaguar XK-E of the sky!

[@robertmizek3315]

What a great analogy!

[@williamschnitzler3521]

massmanute Alright let's go hunt down some Tie Fighters!!! The original Star Trek had a 104 intercept the NC-1701 ENTERPRISE. Nice sequence but most likely been a 102 or 106. The Dart rocks too!

[@gowdsake7103]

Ummm

[@davegillett7135]

Must remember to turn my car off at the lights in an attempt to keep the air clean.

[@barrierodliffe4155]

@@davegillett7135 That is fine if you can rely on it to start first time when hot. Also if you know ho long the lights are going to be red.

[@12345fowler]

Perfectly filmed and edited. Stunning.

[@chrysopylaedesign]

That is one damn sexy jet..... Well done.

[@t.w.3]

I was there. I was also present in Bodø when it has it's last operational flight. I still remember seeing a flight of F-104 doing lowpass before landing @BDU.. Amazing aircraft. The sound and smell brings back memories. Very slow and gentle flying at the airshow, but it was so good to see it in the air again.