Some old F-104 Starfighter mechanics and pilots have spent the last ten years or so making ex-Royal Norwegian Air Force CF-104D airworthy again. It flew again last year for the first time since 1983, and last weekend it made its first display at an airshow here in Norway, in the hands of RNoAF test pilot Eskil Amdal, the lucky dog - that week he flew the Spitfire and Mustang for Boultbee Flight Academy at Goodwood, and then the Starfighter. Not a bad few lines in your logbook He has also been responsible for testing of the F-35 as part of its introduction into service, and development test pilot of the F-35s braking chute at Eielson AFB.
This is the only airworthy 104 in Europe, and one of only four worldwide.
Anyway, a very nice video has been made of the display. Be sure to turn your sound up, the distinctive howl from the intakes is readily apparent. The best-sounding fighter jet of all time, IMO.
In all my years I've never seen the like. It has to be more than a hundred sea miles and he brings us up on his tail. That's seamanship, Mr. Pullings. My God, that's seamanship!
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#4426673 - 06/18/1808:22 PMRe: Great video of Europe’s only airworthy F-104 on ITS first display
[Re: semmern]
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 121,473PanzerMeyer
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PanzerMeyer
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,473
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Great video! Thanks for posting.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4426694 - 06/18/1810:01 PMRe: Great video of Europe’s only airworthy F-104 on ITS first display
[Re: semmern]
Grew up a little over 2mi from the end of runway32/14 in Ottawa. Airplanes were always flying over as Ottawa was still an active RCAF base. One day heard a jet engine like it was taking off and then silence. Next thing this almighty roar and a 104 was going vertical.... till out of site. What I heard later was there was a flame out and somehow the pilot got the engine restarted and went AB.
It was also a 104 that blew out all the glass in the new Ottawa terminal building when it went supersonic on a low pass.
There was only 16 squadrons of RAF fighters that used 100 octane during the BoB. The Fw190A could not fly with the outer cannon removed. There was no Fw190A-8s flying with the JGs in 1945.
#4426714 - 06/18/1811:31 PMRe: Great video of Europe’s only airworthy F-104 on ITS first display
[Re: semmern]
"In the vast library of socialist books, there’s not a single volume on how to create wealth, only how to take and “redistribute” it.” - David Horowitz
#4426734 - 06/19/1802:09 AMRe: Great video of Europe’s only airworthy F-104 on ITS first display
[Re: semmern]
Cool Video -- Thanks for bringing it to our attention. I found it interesting that he flew the entire demo with takeoff flaps set.
Regards, 4 <S!>
He told me the flaps are useable up to 400 kts, and that the plane flies best with them deployed up to that speed. Not much of a wing otherwise, and the turn radius increases by quite a lot with a clean wing. It’s not much of an angles fighter. Speed is life
Originally Posted by adlabs6
Still looks like a design from the future.
What a sound. And that landing... wow.
Yep, it does. And the design is 65 years old!
Quite ticklish on landing as well. It has a boundary layer control system blowing bleed air over the wing, requiring thrust all the way until the wheels touch not to lose lift.
In all my years I've never seen the like. It has to be more than a hundred sea miles and he brings us up on his tail. That's seamanship, Mr. Pullings. My God, that's seamanship!
#4426745 - 06/19/1804:38 AMRe: Great video of Europe’s only airworthy F-104 on ITS first display
[Re: semmern]
In all my years I've never seen the like. It has to be more than a hundred sea miles and he brings us up on his tail. That's seamanship, Mr. Pullings. My God, that's seamanship!
He has also been responsible for testing of the F-35 as part of its introduction into service, and development test pilot of the F-35s braking chute at Eielson AFB.