F-104 STARFIGHTER Flies Again Over Italy, Awesome J79 Howl!

[@PaddyPatrone]

Aircraft was plagued with technical problems throughout the weekend, so there was only one flight at the airshow.

[@GlenD1977]

Brave man to fly it these days considering its reputation!

[@PaddyPatrone]

@@GlenD1977 Im sure they only fly when they are sure it`s safe.

[@GlenD1977]

@@PaddyPatrone yeah definitely, hence only the one flight. Still, it didn’t earn the moniker ‘Widow Maker’ for nothing 😬

[@marcomorana]

Again on this “widow maker” label only applies to a superficial view of German pilots poorly trained 35% as root cause, rest weather and other causes only small % due to the aircraft. This is 1952 designed airplane ahead of his time (can out-climb an F16 @ 54,000 ft/minute) and his latest version is reliable to fly when maintained @KSC by Starfighters Inc

[@spitfirenutspitfirenut4835]

The F-86 had many more accidents causing death.

[@ericq9049]

I always find it hard to explain to people why this is such an incredible aircraft to witness in person. Its shape, the sounds, the speed, the fact that you can actually feel it pulling air from around you if it's close enough....

[@PaddyPatrone]

Exactly. Love the F-104

[@5commandomerc]

Because she's a badass!

[@jakerazmataz852]

How it flies with those gnat wings.

[@92Jdmsupra]

@@jakerazmataz852 Pure speed

[@snuffthemagicdragon9721]

I believe its a Difficult plane to fly, requires a lot of concentration.

[@getoutofthetimetrap5435]

The star fighter was built to intercept high altitude bombers during the Cold War its rate of climb from take off was unmatched, basically like launching a rocket as well as its rate of speed , not very maneuverable but wasn’t designed for dogfights.

[@DeltaVe]

Sounds like what War Thunder players would call a boom-and-zoom fighter.

[@jmace5964]

Canadian here we bought them for low level ground attack and paid the price

[@kwc1138]

@tophatanimation8748 No .. EE Lightning was much less .. The main thing people refer to was a completely stripped bare Lightning prototype. There is a reason why F104 owned all time to height records for decades until some taken by F4 and then the F15.

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@kwc1138F-4? I never would have guessed

[@debbies3763]

LIKE THE MIG-21 BISON MACH 2 BOTH LEGENDS OF THEIR TIME

[@mjw1955]

That 4-plane flyby is one of the best combination of the old and the new that I have ever seen.

[@Helicopterpilot16]

No words can describe how much I love this jet!

[@黃冠瑋-h1o]

They did not want to keep any F104 in Taiwan,because this jet killed too many pilots.

[@jinramen0317]

@@黃冠瑋-h1osame goes for Germany I believe

[@黃冠瑋-h1o]

@@jinramen0317 and I don't know why F104 killed many pilots in German and Taiwan,but it didn't cause many accidents in Italy before.Those F104 bought from Japan cause many kills in Taiwan.

[@Helicopterpilot16]

@@黃冠瑋-h1o lack of proper training I know was this issue with Germany. Very unforgiving aircraft.

[@黃冠瑋-h1o]

@@Helicopterpilot16 I heard that it's a jet that is hard to handle.I think it's why Taiwan likes jets with twin engines. I suggest Tom Cruise buy a F104 to fly for joy.

[@trintella53]

As their flight surgeon in the 60ies I was fortunate to get a ride to 50k and a speed of Mach 2. Once on the ground I was treated to a throw in the near by creek!! What a fraternity to join!!

[@PolPotsPieHole]

any chance you were at Tinker AFB from 66-70?

[@jimshoe402]

@@PolPotsPieHole Concorde 9/5/2003 FUN !! Mach 2 for 2 hrs..😁😁😁😁

[@spankymcduff9683]

My father had over 1000hrs flying CF104 and the CF104d. I inherited his flight log book. He also bailed out of one in 1964...( bird strike )

[@Dr.K.Wette_BE]

Cool ! (except the fact you "inherited" his log book, sorry for that) My neighbour is a retired colonel from the Belgian Air Force, he used to fly on those jets, F-104, Mirage II-III-IV, Gloster Meteor... He has a lot of photographs I scan to share with his former colleagues. A pity I can't share those, it's "private" almost like still classified... I have to respect that.

[@dongorney2533]

I grew up in Palmdale California, where the F-104s were flight tested. My neighbor was Lockheed test-pilot Glenn Reaves, and got to watch one of his training flights with the German pilots from the Lockheed control tower. It was such a beautiful plan, and the J79 howl made it unique. Good times.

[@MoralCompass-US]

What a sound! What an incredible aircraft!

[@billj4137]

Reminds me a little of the old C-5, you never had to look up to see what was flying overhead.

[@hendu7111]

@ 1:35 a nice view of line up of sweet jets and the helicopter overhead and....a Kia?

[@louischadaris5909]

The F 104 is one of the most beautiful planes ever

[@patrickcarpin2758]

With the F4 U Corsair.

[@raysantiago3750]

F-104 Star Fighter still is a beautiful aircraft.

[@PaddyPatrone]

It is !

[@BasedF-15Pilot]

I got to see Italian F-104's fly when I was in Cervia AB for a while. Really cool to see.

[@stephenauty2402]

The Starfighter is struggling to stay afloat next to those other aircraft, wings are so small it's close to stalling but what a display..fantastic aircraft.

[@Music-pq8cm]

… and entered service just 13 years after WWII ? Pretty amazing how quickly technology developed in such a short period of time.

[@r-saint]

It's still the fastest aircraft at sea level. Nothing surpassed it.

[@rickfoss5003]

I worked on the F-105 stationed at Nellis. We often had 104s come in. I always stopped what I was doing to watch and listen. It's great that one is flying again. I wish we could say the same for a F-105. Maybe one day.

[@bakkerem1967]

Didn't know there was still one flying. ! Thanks for posting ! In Holland they actually used that howl as a weapon in 1977, when forcing an end to a train hijacking. 6 Starfighters made a low pass. It scared the shit out of the hijackers, so special forces could utilize the confusion to go in. 3 Minutes later their job was done.

[@calebrcook]

Epic story!

[@awuma]

I think there's another one in Norway.

[@TheInstructor66]

@@awuma Thats correct. CF-104D 637, now with callsign Lima-november-sierra-tango-foxtrot is operational.

[@dutchsailor6620]

It wasn't the howl, it were the afterburners used to disorient the hijackers.

[@Tigershark_3082]

I believe this is just one of many in Starfighter Inc's fleet. If I remember right, this was a TF-104G that originally served with the Italian Air Force

[@watarutakenouchi9512]

Even in Japan, the F104 was a beloved and iconic fighter jet for many people. The nickname for the F104 in Japan was “Eiko”. It translates to “Glory” in English.

[@yukiorchid]

I am Japanese and the F104 is one of my favorite fighters. JASDF's old fighters had some pet names, but they were rarely familiar by that name. The members and aviation enthusiasts of the time called him Zero-Four exclusively.

[@markbesedin9397]

He also had the nickname "widowmaker" and "flying coffin"

[@wg4112]

@@markbesedin9397 ??

[@zoolkhan]

konichiwa it was known as widowmaker in germanies airforce... so many of them crashed. it was a dangerous plane, a piece of shit.

[@SandsOfArrakis]

@@markbesedin9397 the Germans called them Widowmakers. Half of their fleet crashed.

[@MiniBuster2]

I remember the Starfighter often used to fly past my home, when I was a kid. It was like looking at airplane from the future. I think the Starfighter is the reason I love airplanes, and still have to look up EVERY time I hear an airplane. :)

[@bzdang]

It will always be from the future !

[@soaringvulture]

It is from the future. Kelly Johnson designed it. Johnson came here from the 25th century.

[@thuhmonty]

I find it so interesting that the F-104 has such a visible smoke plume behind it while in the air. With it flying next to the more modern fighters you can really tell how more efficient their engines are!

[@takodac2469]

That's because it's not at its optimal burn rate... engine is probably not even and a quarter power like through its flight except at take with its afterburn.

[@Phos9]

@@takodac2469 Jet engines were just smokey for a while. The fuel mixing just wasn't very good. The afterburner is able to burn the soot, so you can't see it.

[@Supertrump.2024]

The J79s always smoked like that. The F4s were twice as bad with two engines. It still looks great tho, looks like the good old days. Man they need to get a couple of them flying in the U.S. just love the Howlll and their looks.

[@megafauna8374]

The F-4 Phantom (old smokey) had 2 J-79's. Awesome aircraft but NVA AA gunners could spot 'em easily.

[@jameshunter5485]

@BlackFlag714 The F-86 is older and didn’t leave a smoke plume.

[@peep39]

wow, what a sound. hard to top that

[@androidemulator6952]

@4:42 .. watching the Starfighter zoom past , almost missed missed seeing the P47D Thunderbolt on the ground. :!

[@fabiogasperini5868]

I have been in the Italian Air Force from 1980 to 2000. From 1987 I was at that airport, Pratica di Mare. I have seen the F104 flying hundreds of times there and elsewhere, and every time i found myself watching it, always amazed at the whole show.

[@corjp]

OMG the howling of the engine... it brings back soooo many memories... when I was on holidays in the southern part of The Netherlands and saw and heard the famous F 104... chills down my spine.

[@PjotrStroganov]

Sounds like some kind of resonance. Like a water tap resonating. Or a pulse jet.

[@roberthampton8682]

As a youth, growing up in 50's-60's, I was fascinated with any and all air craft and the F-104 was one of my favorites. I never thought I would actually see one in the air, but when I was stationed in Germany with the US Air Force back in 1976-1979, one of our alerts was started when a German F-104 came across our air field at the same lever as the water tower. THAT was an awesome sight! I'll never for get it.

[@3516diesel]

That was pretty badass, I'm flying one in MSFS and the sound is true to life. The high speed landings are fun and hitting that drag chute really helps the F-104 drop anchor very nicely.

[@johnbaligrodzki9672]

Was just at the Palm Springs Air Museum. They have an F104. Had never seen one in person before. Could not believe how small it is. The wings are tiny! And incredibly thin airfoil section. An incredible tech achievement to get everything into such a small package to do its job. This video is excellent!

[@SandsOfArrakis]

I work at the Scania truck factory here in the Netherlands. Close by there is a college and in front of it there is a Starfighter on static display. It is a former Royal Netherlands Airforce plane. Still in its original color and markings. It really is a flying rocket.

[@rochelledelain4349]

That J-79 howl sounds amazing!

[@markever234]

Dang.. even the F-86 burns cleaner than the F-104.

[@militarytension236]

I love that Fly-By-Sound of the Starfighter. It's his characteristic. If you can't see him, you can recognize him by his sound.

[@timmotel5804]

Nothing sounds like it. Beautiful Sound. Brings back old memories. Thanks & Best Regards.

[@dennispetty4405]

My pop used to pilot this aircraft among many other back in the day.. F104..f105.. F4.. Then onto SR71.. Proud guy..ace..

[@bluecollarwatches7048]

I was tdy to Gioia Del Colle air base in Italy for displayed determination in 1983, this was their primary fighter and they were cool to watch. They used to taxi with no brakes, our f4 pilots said this thing was hard to catch since they were so fast. That was one of the best tdy’s I was ever on, the towns people weren’t used to Americans and they treated us great, right down in the heel of the boot, was a field tdy but what a blast we had.

[@katemdegrood4580]

Howdy and great vid...I remember quite a while ago at the Abbotsford BC airshow a F-104 opened the festivities by doing a flyby at just above the tree tops and just barely under the sound barrier..Well there were people on the deck some crying, what an entrance and I still remember this. The same year the An 225 and Soukoi were there. WOW what a plane.Thanks Kelly Johnson..

[@RA76951]

The Practica show (Italian Air Force 100th anniversary) was probably one of the best shows I have been to in Europe.....

[@Airsally]

Best sounding jet in the pattern...you cant miss that howling J-79.

[@pallen49]

f-104 is my all time favorite fighter to tangle with Godzilla..

[@UOttawaScotty]

You gotta have balls of steel to get behind the wheel of one of these things, amazing, what a treat !

[@ShellMartijn]

Please send this plane to The Netherlands!! I want to experience goosebumps in real life :) I miss that howl.

[@shandfan]

Better is that huge BLOWING by the Eurofighter.A take off by ONE machine makes the whole bottom of the air base rumble.Blocking your ears? No use.....the sound goes through your guts.

[@markrayton6385]

Absolutely awesome. That made me go cold watching that. That howl was amazing. I am so lucky to have seen these flying back in the day and to have heared that awesome sound. I miss these. So nice to see one back where it belongs, in the sky. Thank you for sharing.

[@PaddyPatrone]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@walterheinen5298]

Was one of the highlights at Oshkosh in the 90s seeing two matching Star Fighters fly. Totally unexpected. AMissile

[@chris_hisss]

So I know you say J79 howl like that was normal, but that seemed excessive. Like it goes away at just before it taxis, and is gone until you hear it abruptly hear it start back at 5:01 and not only that but at 5:26 you can hear an audible pop and the squeal drops about 1/2 a note. Sounds like maybe it lost a tooth in there or something. Glad you were there for this and didn't wait, and be disappointed it didn't fly again! Thanks for sharing!

[@2011zurich]

0:34 she just wants to go...

[@ronringo5465]

I was in Neuburg a.d. Donau stationed as a conscript at Jagdgeschwader 74 and responsible for the Starfighter's on-board radar 😀Thanks for the contribution 👍

[@alarmfannh]

Refueled Italian 104’s when I was at Aviano AB in 1980-82. Seemed like a rocket with seating for one!

[@JohnJohansen2]

As a kid I had the opportunity to experience both the 104 and the Saab 35 Draken, since the Danish airforce had them both. From the 104's i saw some exciting high speed chasing. A lot of these above mach 1. I also had the pleasure to watch two Saab 35 Draken playing war over my local fjord for several minutes. They were performing cobras, and other outstanding manoeuvres. - What great things to observe, 👍🙂

[@NikkiandSteve1]

Such an epic aircraft. I’ve only seen pictures of it. Thanks for posting the video

[@paddyhansen4017]

Awesome jet so ahead of its time

[@ejbeekeeper4360]

During my time with the Dutch Royal Airforce (dienstplicht) they already switched to the F-16. But during my training in Arnhem at the LETS, I got to sit in de cockpit of a F-104. I still remember the smell of this amazing plane.

[@arashramezani8535]

The amazing Howl! It’s like the difference when you see a really built out muscle car thumping by. Un matched! Love this plane sleek fast and good in the eyes and ears.

[@705547]

Geniale Aufnahmen. Was ein umwerfendes Flugzeug, was ein einzigartiger Sound. 😎👍

[@lanarelaxchannel]

😎👍

[@georgeiliopoulos1917]

I remember that sound when i did my service to my country in Araxos Greece. This is 35 years ago.

[@hipoman8087]

Had those stationed at air national gaurd base at niagara Falls airport.! Interceptor. the sound was unique !

[@JimmyLarsen33]

I was a kid in Denmark in the late '60s. And we had these in the Danish airforce. And dad was in the airforce (below ground). We lived in the countryside and when we heard a couple of F104's howling by he said "Boy....that sound....that is the sound of peace" - And i was 5-6 years....and didn't understand.....just wondered why it sounded like that

[@jamesswain1586]

That F 104 as a kid i saw at Lockheed in Burbank at a open house. The wing was so thin i dont know where they put any fuel. The J 79 sure smoked and the sound was fantastic it had a howl about it.

[@malcpaul996]

In the late 1960s and early 1970s when I lived in Germany, we used to say "How do you get your own Starfighter?" The answer was "Buy two acres of land and wait". They were awesome to see flying though.

[@Andrew-zx9wx]

Thanks for sharing. That sound is quite unique!

[@eoinj3929]

The wings were so small it used 'bleed' air from the turbine to blow out via tiny holes in the wing to maintain laminar flow and ensure aileron effectiveness at low airspeed. Amazing stuff!

[@Joerg0000]

Yes, amazing stuff. However, this was the reason for a lot of crashes. No engine, no lift. Bad thing if you loose the engine due to a bird struke just before landing.

[@frankycossu2897]

L'inconfondibile suono delle turbine del mitico F-104 Starfighter che rmho conosciuto...che ricordo e che ho riascoltato ora in video....il suo sorvolo sembrava un lamento...un pianto......talvolta un ragliare come un asino😂😂😂😂😂 qui in Sardegna nel Medio campidano ci passavano in testa essendo allora come ora linea aerea militare e civile ...elicotteri annessi.....i 50 li ho passati da molto, e perciò ne parlo... !

[@8888shooter]

👏👏👌👏....absolutely beautiful video, love the Starfighter...it's an iconic fighter aircraft!!!...and that's a hell of a great howl / sound coming from that engine!!!👌👏...wicked!!!💥💥💯!!!..many thanks pal for sharing!!!.... show more of this plane!!😁📸👌

[@roberthampton1840]

My favorite model airplane when I was a kid, next to my F4U Corsair.

[@TomokosEnterprize]

Music to this old fighters ears.

[@sharkmollmeyer]

I believe this aircraft is back in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center. I saw it being delivered.

[@rodas-1919]

Thank you!!!

[@Virchov]

Own... the kiss to the bird at the end... Such a love letter for the F104

[@eivinstens6091]

Great aircraft. And also a very nice flute. :)

[@toucheturtle3840]

Beautiful aircraft. Bloody hell I’m old…. Lucky enough to witness most of these Cold War jets flying.

[@vincent-wu7bw]

This is one of the few videos I have seen that properly captures the howl.

[@MrShobar]

I saw "Starfighters" at Reno a number of years ago. There were two of them then. The demonstration was somewhat curtailed due to high winds in the afternoon.

[@randall1959]

"The missile with a man in it"

[@Simonize41]

Stunning machine. Timeless. And that howl.😎🖤

[@shandfan]

Hmm..that howl we could dispense with.

[@timholstpetersen79]

Hi.... from Denmark. We visit the German Luftfahrtmuseum Wernigerode in the Harz almost every year, and they have a couple of the F-104 STARFIGHTER's on display there.... and every time it boggles my mind how HUGE they actually are.... it's like a huge jet engine with a pilot up front !!

[@michaelpimentel5599]

I've always loved the Starfighter. Thank you for this video.

[@awuma]

Lots of them sitting in museums. I saw several this past summer, in Edmonton and Dayton.

[@johnosbourn4312]

What an AWESOME demo! Also, this is one beautiful plane, that looks fast, just sitting still, and, I'm amazed that the J79 engine has enough power to bounce the aircraft during a static engine test.

[@Vlerkies]

Such a small wing profile. Don't know the stats of this ar/jet but it was the first thing that stood out for me. Loads of ooomph and getgo I guess. Nicely filmed, thanks

[@kimitoitou1059]

エンジン音に痺れます。戦闘機での性能云々はありますが大好きな飛行機です。 ダックテールのツンとした後姿がたまりません。

[@jimbell242]

This is one of my all-time favorite aircraft!! Add the theme music from the film, "The Right Stuff", and this video would be perfect!!!

[@Nana-rk2xn]

What a feast for the eyes and ears. I love it. Memories of the JaboG 32 on the Lechfeld.🤙👌

[@Flavum]

Is this the two-seat trainer configuration?

[@travistolbert2647]

That J79 is just screaming over everything! lol

[@arnohak6964]

What a beautiful plane...and that sound, just incredible.

[@karavalle12]

👍👏Thank you for this beautiful little video! The plane is very promising! It's worth the wait thank you👨🏼‍✈️

[@nickm764]

Looks like Pier in the front seat, flew with him a couple of times at his flight school, Black Beauty is looking good but I'm partial to the blue and silver one :)

[@dsgp7835]

Seeing the silhouette of the 104 with the other aircraft, it was spooky looking. One wild design.

[@patrickchaffanel4351]

🤩WAOW.... Et le son unique du réacteur GE J79

[@StrokerStevens]

I remember a few years back when this aircraft was a regular sight over Pinellas county as it was out of KPIE airport.

[@jamespruitt3159]

I remember watching this beauty spinning and climbing as the National anthem played before television ended the day.

[@troybockhop1351]

F16 and F104 two of the most beautiful fighters ever conceived!

[@woska7493]

Awesome fly over!

[@DigbyOdel-et3xx]

The sexiest figher jet ever made... My all time favorite fighter jet. Being Canadian I saw and heard 🥰 at air shows,the CF-104's that the RCAF used. Love everything about this jet.🥰

[@CanyonWanderer]

I had the pleasure of witnessing some F-104 action from up close in I think it was 1985, man, the chest-pounding afterburner ... Later I had some nearby NF-5 and F-16 experiences, but this felt the most extreme

[@山良-p2p]

FHoo～ｎn. J79 engine cry sound. I often heard this sound. Sick having a split flaps.

[@Pylon5Productions]

Awesome video and audio as always!

[@PaddyPatrone]

Thanks!

[@sebastianbraun7073]

Great sound, great fighter

[@stevefambro189]

Grazie mille!

[@32tfs]

Love this, thanks for posting 👍

[@1moredayof]

Best looking jet!

[@michaelfraser5723]

BUT WHAT A BEAUTY AND THAT SOUND OH LA LA

[@kamurray67]

Looks like a rocket with stabilizing fins on it.