My mouse cursor was hovering over the "X" in the top right, just in case I opened one more aviation video with "Danger Zone" blasting. This is pure joy!
I was a pilot in the RAF during the Cold War. In the early 1980s I went on my first squadron exchange to a base in Munich that no longer exists. But the boss of the squadron used an F104 wing as his desk - it wasn’t a big room but the wing fitted fine! We used to say the F104 didn’t have wings, just stabilisers!
Around 2000, I was the inspector with a pair of mechanics from San Antonio, and we were sent to Clearwater Beach airport to patch up an old Swearingen Merlin IIIB for a ferry flight back to San Antonio for repair. It had hit a buzzard departing from Sarasota, damaging the left wing leading edge. They shared a hangar with y'all! I remember three 104s- two were flying, the third was in reserve, and had been flown by the Crown Prince of Jordan during his career in the Jordanian Air Force. I remember your mechanic telling us that it was a two-seater because the Prince was not allowed to fly solo, due to his royal status. Y'all came to the Randolph AFB Airshow at San Antonio later that year, so I got to see everybody again and see the birds fly. That was really cool. I wish y'all still did airshows. It would be great to see them fly some more!
A ride of a lifetime and an experienced dwindling to the point of Extinction! What a privilege the f-104 Starfighter has and always will be very dear and near to my heart
I grew up in the 60s and love the Century Series....but the F-104 has always been my favorite. I saw three of them do near vertical climbs while stationed at Perrin AFB, TX in 1969. Three of us T-37 crew chiefs waved to the F-104 pilots as they taxied past the end of the flightline. We all pointed up and saw them laugh. And they did it.....and it was amazing. Love the F-104 ! :)
Ahhh the hum in the cockpit of ten thousand systems all surging and pumping and flowing to make your spaceship work properly and then the demonic growl of the massive engine as she gets the input to eat the sky - beautiful.
Thank you so much for sharing this video, great stuff! Greetings from Germany, despite everything that has happened in the past we absolute loved our Starfighter fleet and surely love to see them flying even today 🙂
@@rael5469 I believe the problem Luftwaffe had was in lack of training and emergency procedures, as this is a very unforgiving aircraft in poorly trained hands. Eventually its safety record improved; the Italians also flew these into the 90's. Please comment if I am incorrect or you can add to the discussion.
@@amramjose I don't really know any details about it. That's just my general knowledge of it. I just thought I heard that it had a bad safety record. But I mean really.....what does it land at? ....150 knots or more? That's a recipe for trouble.
Back in 1977 I used to work for a company known as Northwest Industries a division of CAE as a wiring harness assembler for the F104 Starfighters going to Baden Baden Germany. The start of my aviation career.
The last time i saw one operational was @ the Wings over Houston Airshow, ‘88/‘89, Ellington Field, in a hangar. Inquired and was told it belonged to a civilian/private owner. It flew a demo the next day as we were on our static display. Gorgeous & stunning a/c, its design bore the later SR71. They were still operational in the German AF into the ‘90’s and gradually replaced by the Tornado. To this day, one of my personal favorites, I admire the one still on static display @ Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, Tx.😊
The dutch airforce used the f104 to make low flight passes over a commercial train that was being hijacked in 1977 by molukkan freedomfighters, in order to get them disoriented
We did a low pass at this runway in our Mooney at half the F104's landing speed. It was at the peak of COVID19. My and I were bored, so I said "Let's just go do a low pass at the Shuttle's runway". We called Orlando Approach via phone to verify R-airspace was cold. Got the usual instructions "Do NOT touch the runway and stay west of the center-line." My wife (non-pilot) asked "What happens if we touch the runway?", the controller replied jokingly "You'll get a bunch of guys behind you to throw you in jail."
Hah I remember sitting on a parade ground ( my pops was the RSM) Germany and watching two big covered trucks come to the middle for a demonstration. It was two 104’s with rocket boosters take off for a NATO demonstration for Prince Phillip in 63 or 64. Insane sound levels…shortly followed by a small tussle afterwards when someone asked a Scot what they had on under their kilt….
Chuck also provided valuable data during that flight, that once you go into a stall in the 104, you can never recover it. Just punch out. - On another note, there was no belly landing the 104 with main gear deployment failure or partial gear deployment failure. You flew to the middle of nowhere and punched out.
@@RacerXGTOYeah the engine stalled out on it and there were no hydraulics to operate the flight surfaces, he tried to get it under control with the landing chute and stuff to try and get the engine going again but it just dropped like a rock.
I wish I could get a ride? Cost must be pretty high? I'm a retired airline pilot and flew with many Air Force Pilots who had flown thr F-104, F-105, F-100, F-4, F-102 etc. The men who flew the F-104 loved to fly it but were thrilled to transition into F-4’s.
While in the USAF in 1969, I watched three F-104s do near vertical takeoffs while working on an aircraft on the flightline. It was incredible ! I was an F-4C crew chief and flew once in my aircraft. It was great, but the F-104 would have been the ultimate, it's pure speed :) Saw a lot of German F-104s but nothing beats the polished aluminum look. Such a beautiful aircraft
Wow, great, what.. a... RUSH! VAB and launch complexes in background... beautiful! Please ask Piercarlo to make more 104 videos, love what he's posted so far! Great video, nice editing.
YOU LUCKY.........! That wonderful howl! despite its accident record, I was an acquaintance of Lt Gen Gunther Rall of tthe Luftwaffe. He loved it. Well done.
What a beautiful bird and a perfect greaser landing by the pilot. I'll always remember reading (Check Yeager biography - a must read book by thje way) about Gen Chuck Yeager's flight in the NF-104A which ended in a loss of control and a crash on December 10 1963 at Edwards AFB. Thank you for sharing the experience free of narration & music.
Wow I had a privilegie to work with theese beasts, in the far 1986 at 5° Squadron - Rimini - Italy and last summer i saw the " Black Beauty" to fly at Pratica di Mare for the 100 years of the ITALIAN AIR FORCE - AERONAUTICA MILITARE ITALIANA- I cryed.....
V.A.M. a Cameri nel 1978/79. Vedere decollare quelli del 53° Stormo del Comandante Mainini, specialmente di sera e da pochi metri, é un qualcosa che non si puó spiegare con parole.
Absolutely love the F-104 Starfighter. It is basically a missile with wings. What I would give to sit in the backseat of one of those. Maybe they'll come to Houston in October for Wings Over Houston Air show and sell rides 😁
Wow. I really had my doubts about the stability of that manned missile. What an iconic flight! BTW, the correct name for the forward flaps is "slats". Thanks for sharing this wonderful video!
I only refer to them as leading edge flaps because that is how they are labeled in the airplane as well as in the MM. Other aircraft I have worked on like the F86 and the TA4J referred to them as slats although the mechanism was entirely different. Will certainly look into it now that you mention it. Glad you enjoyed the video!
slats are different. They typically embed into the leading edge and extend outward, not just changing the angle of attack of the leading edge. The F-14 had slats as to most airliners.
F-104 has an air ducting arrangement using hot engine bleed air vented over the rear flaps to make them more effective at lower airspeed. It was a system also applied to another J-79 powered fighter, the F-4 Phantom. Early "hardwing" Phantoms like B,C,D,N, RF-4 and early E except it had the system flow over the wings from forward flaps when they were deployed. After Vietnam they changed to a fully slatted arrangement such as the late E,G, and S. No more blowing hot air.
The F-104, the F-16, F-18, "hard wing F-4s, Boeing 747 (inboard wing section), F-35, F-22 and dozens of other airplanes have LEADING EDGE FLAPS and NOT SLATS! Slats are always slotted and "pop out". There are even slotted leading edge flaps for more confusion 😅
The Widow Maker. Look up the British album from the 70's 'Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters'. We had two squadrons of Starfighters at RAF Binbrook in '77. When they Beat Up the Airfield on arrival, I had one go over me at about 40 feet . That was the first plane in. Came out of nowhere. I jumped out of my skin, but the shows were great 😂
This Tf104g comes from Italy where i live, his base was 30 km from my home, i surely have seen it flying many many many times. Very impressive 20 years after her phasing out
That was amazing. I didn't have any idea that there were still 104's airworthy besides maybe NASA. What a once in a lifetime experience to be able to fly in that backseat!
The A and B models ejected downward. The procedure at low altitude was to roll inverted and then punch out. Yeah, right, like there's nothing else going on.
Grew up on an air base 1955 to 1967 in Canada during the cold war 104s day and night was able to sit around the end of the run way and watch take offs also got to go in hangers also right up to the flight line cold lake forever
What is the heritage of this dual? I recall that some RCAF aircraft (including one from AETE that I had a ride or two in my flight test days). Great video wonderful aircraft first flew in 1954 I believe.
Missile with a man in it. Or "men" in this case. :) TF-104, right? Think there were only 2 built? I may be mistaken. I may have it confused with the A-10B that only two were built. Anyone know the history of this particular airframe?
At 3:19 there is a Space Shuttle off to the right side of the runway-WHAT is THIS???? I thought that the only 3 orbiters plus the Enterprise were all in museums. Is that some mock-up?
I work for Starfighters as a crew chief and got the chance to go up for the FCF after we brought it to Italy and reassembled it. Been a life dream of mine so it was amazing to finally get the chance!
Bluejay 4, you should be close enough for visual contact. I can see it now. Whatever this is, it's big. Two cylindrical projections on top, one below. Purpose--undetermined.
Get it while you can folks! Thanks to Rick and Piercarlo for surmounting unbelievable hurdles there is still is an option to experience the Starfighter. My takeaway 5 years ago was " it is not as easy to fly as it was when I was 22 and the cockpit seems to smaller than I remember. ruclips.net/video/Bwd0i51CKsg/видео.html
Gorgeous aircraft! There are no publisher's notes. Was the boundary layer control testing done to ensure this feature was operating as it was originally designed? Or was this done as a test for either a modification or evan an aerodynamic study applicable to a new aircraft in design (e.g. NGAD, F/A-XX)? Would be nice have the F-104 contribute to fighters in design more than 60 years later!
It was just a test to assure everything was operating within the parameters required. This aircraft was disassembled and shipped to Italy for their 100th year anniversary of their Air Force. Once reassembled back in the states I was fortunate enough to ride in the back for the functional check flight.
@@jordanclymer12 Whoa! Thanks for the reply. Sending it to Italy required a LOT of effort. It's a nice gesture to an ally to do this. It's also particularly germane since Italy was one of the NATO members who purchased the F-104. Wikipedia says Italy retired the F-104 from their Air Force in 2004. Wiki also states.... "It was the first production aircraft to achieve Mach 2, and the first aircraft to reach an altitude of 100,000 ft (30,000 m) after taking off under its own power. The Starfighter established world records for airspeed, altitude, and time-to-climb in 1958, becoming the first aircraft to hold all three simultaneously." That's one impressive set of credentials!
Yes it was a ton of work, our aircraft that are currently flying were purchased from the Italian government so it was cool to have the airplane flying back where it was originally operated!
Fantastic. No music. No narration. Just pure Starfighter: thank you!
My mouse cursor was hovering over the "X" in the top right, just in case I opened one more aviation video with "Danger Zone" blasting. This is pure joy!
There was music 🎵🎶🎶🎶 called J-79!! 😮🤌🤌
Sure there was -- the poem "High Flight" in the background. ALWAYS with a -104. No one else hears it, but you do.
And Thats How It Should Be , Awsome 👌
Very rare to see something from inside. Thanks. Sono invidioso a bestia
The F-104 may not have been the most useful nor practical fighter of its time, but damn if it wasn't the coolest!
I kinda liked the F-101 Voodoo
F-106 !
I agree
I remember the screech on take-off
The zipper is perhaps the most bad-ass airplane of all time. The speed on the ground after that landing was pretty eye-watering.
I was a pilot in the RAF during the Cold War. In the early 1980s I went on my first squadron exchange to a base in Munich that no longer exists. But the boss of the squadron used an F104 wing as his desk - it wasn’t a big room but the wing fitted fine! We used to say the F104 didn’t have wings, just stabilisers!
Thank you for your service!
Yes. We called them fins. And I also wore the "Starfighter kiss" on my forehead from running. Into the one-eighth-inch leading edge.
CF-104, the widow maker. Ahead of its time, needed a supercomputer or 2.
However, thank you for keeping a vital piece of history alive.
Around 2000, I was the inspector with a pair of mechanics from San Antonio, and we were sent to Clearwater Beach airport to patch up an old Swearingen Merlin IIIB for a ferry flight back to San Antonio for repair. It had hit a buzzard departing from Sarasota, damaging the left wing leading edge. They shared a hangar with y'all! I remember three 104s- two were flying, the third was in reserve, and had been flown by the Crown Prince of Jordan during his career in the Jordanian Air Force. I remember your mechanic telling us that it was a two-seater because the Prince was not allowed to fly solo, due to his royal status. Y'all came to the Randolph AFB Airshow at San Antonio later that year, so I got to see everybody again and see the birds fly. That was really cool.
I wish y'all still did airshows. It would be great to see them fly some more!
A ride of a lifetime and an experienced dwindling to the point of Extinction! What a privilege the f-104 Starfighter has and always will be very dear and near to my heart
I grew up in the 60s and love the Century Series....but the F-104 has always been my favorite. I saw three of them do near vertical climbs while stationed at Perrin AFB, TX in 1969. Three of us T-37 crew chiefs waved to the F-104 pilots as they taxied past the end of the flightline. We all pointed up and saw them laugh. And they did it.....and it was amazing. Love the F-104 ! :)
Ahhh the hum in the cockpit of ten thousand systems all surging and pumping and flowing to make your spaceship work properly and then the demonic growl of the massive engine as she gets the input to eat the sky - beautiful.
Thank you so much for sharing this video, great stuff!
Greetings from Germany, despite everything that has happened in the past we absolute loved our Starfighter fleet and surely love to see them flying even today 🙂
What an iconic airplane. I had no idea any were still flying.
Yes we have a fleet down in Florida at Kennedy space center
@@jordanclymer12 Why? isn't it a dangerous aircraft? I mean, doesn't it have an appalling safety record?
They are the iconic icon,s of iconrey
@@rael5469 I believe the problem Luftwaffe had was in lack of training and emergency procedures, as this is a very unforgiving aircraft in poorly trained hands. Eventually its safety record improved; the Italians also flew these into the 90's. Please comment if I am incorrect or you can add to the discussion.
@@amramjose I don't really know any details about it. That's just my general knowledge of it. I just thought I heard that it had a bad safety record. But I mean really.....what does it land at? ....150 knots or more? That's a recipe for trouble.
The F-104 is such a sexy plane!
Back in 1977 I used to work for a company known as Northwest Industries a division of CAE as a wiring harness assembler for the F104 Starfighters going to Baden Baden Germany. The start of my aviation career.
The last time i saw one operational was @ the Wings over Houston Airshow, ‘88/‘89, Ellington Field, in a hangar. Inquired and was told it belonged to a civilian/private owner. It flew a demo the next day as we were on our static display. Gorgeous & stunning a/c, its design bore the later SR71. They were still operational in the German AF into the ‘90’s and gradually replaced by the Tornado. To this day, one of my personal favorites, I admire the one still on static display @ Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, Tx.😊
Years ago I was fortunate to work for a nuseum collection that operated a CF-104D. I still cherish my three rides in that gorgeous thoroughbred.
So cool to see that someone is keeping the Starfighter flying! It's not cheap.
The dutch airforce used the f104 to make low flight passes over a commercial train that was being hijacked in 1977 by molukkan freedomfighters, in order to get them disoriented
Iconic runway and airplane. Two great privileges you experienced that day.
Lovely to see this iconic plane flying.
As a kid, THIS was my favorite fighter jet ... could fly vertically, as fast as horizontally, IIRC! And man, was it COOL looking! Great video!!
I'm always amazed that those tiny wings can keep the F104 in the air.
We did a low pass at this runway in our Mooney at half the F104's landing speed. It was at the peak of COVID19. My and I were bored, so I said "Let's just go do a low pass at the Shuttle's runway". We called Orlando Approach via phone to verify R-airspace was cold. Got the usual instructions "Do NOT touch the runway and stay west of the center-line." My wife (non-pilot) asked "What happens if we touch the runway?", the controller replied jokingly "You'll get a bunch of guys behind you to throw you in jail."
Haha I have also flown the runway but in a Cessna 150 and man did it feel like forever!
The 104 on the other hand made the runway feel small😂
Hah I remember sitting on a parade ground ( my pops was the RSM) Germany and watching two big covered trucks come to the middle for a demonstration. It was two 104’s with rocket boosters take off for a NATO demonstration for Prince Phillip in 63 or 64. Insane sound levels…shortly followed by a small tussle afterwards when someone asked a Scot what they had on under their kilt….
Missile with a man in it!! When we visited Naples and our carrier was anchored off the port the Italian Airforce did flyovers for us 👌
Been a long time! Brought back some good memories.
If I see an F104 I think of the movie "The Right Stuff" where Chuck Yeager did the unrestricted climb
Chuck also provided valuable data during that flight, that once you go into a stall in the 104, you can never recover it. Just punch out. - On another note, there was no belly landing the 104 with main gear deployment failure or partial gear deployment failure. You flew to the middle of nowhere and punched out.
@@RacerXGTOYeah the engine stalled out on it and there were no hydraulics to operate the flight surfaces, he tried to get it under control with the landing chute and stuff to try and get the engine going again but it just dropped like a rock.
That was pretty sensational. subbed you and regards from the UK 👍
I wish I could get a ride? Cost must be pretty high?
I'm a retired airline pilot and flew with many Air Force Pilots who had flown thr F-104, F-105, F-100, F-4, F-102 etc. The men who flew the F-104 loved to fly it but were thrilled to transition into F-4’s.
BEST VIDEO EVER!!!!! Keep em coming!!!!!
While in the USAF in 1969, I watched three F-104s do near vertical takeoffs while working on an aircraft on the flightline. It was incredible ! I was an F-4C crew chief and flew once in my aircraft. It was great, but the F-104 would have been the ultimate, it's pure speed :) Saw a lot of German F-104s but nothing beats the polished aluminum look. Such a beautiful aircraft
Wow, great, what.. a... RUSH! VAB and launch complexes in background... beautiful! Please ask Piercarlo to make more 104 videos, love what he's posted so far! Great video, nice editing.
He’s been really busy but plans on catching up on editing!
YOU LUCKY.........! That wonderful howl! despite its accident record, I was an acquaintance of Lt Gen Gunther Rall of tthe Luftwaffe. He loved it. Well done.
Thank you so much for that so sweeseeeet looked fun
What a beautiful bird and a perfect greaser landing by the pilot. I'll always remember reading (Check Yeager biography - a must read book by thje way) about Gen Chuck Yeager's flight in the NF-104A which ended in a loss of control and a crash on December 10 1963 at Edwards AFB. Thank you for sharing the experience free of narration & music.
Wow I had a privilegie to work with theese beasts, in the far 1986 at 5° Squadron - Rimini - Italy and last summer i saw the " Black Beauty" to fly at Pratica di Mare for the 100 years of the ITALIAN AIR FORCE - AERONAUTICA MILITARE ITALIANA- I cryed.....
Congratulations to the Italian Air Force......one of the last to fly the F-104 if I am correct.
Yes you are correct, the last flight of the 104 in Italy was in the sammer 2005 with model F104 ASA-M 😢 Thanks
@@giulianobaldini1293 You're welcome
It’s a darn good looking aircraft
V.A.M. a Cameri nel 1978/79. Vedere decollare quelli del 53° Stormo del Comandante Mainini, specialmente di sera e da pochi metri, é un qualcosa che non si puó spiegare con parole.
My favorite USAF fighter of all time. This is why I can identify planes now ❤
Amazing thanks for sharing
Absolutely love the F-104 Starfighter. It is basically a missile with wings. What I would give to sit in the backseat of one of those. Maybe they'll come to Houston in October for Wings Over Houston Air show and sell rides 😁
Unfortunately we no longer do airshows😞
@@jordanclymer12Bummer😞
Appears to be very smooth inflight.
Thanks for the views! Love the Sound!
Broke lots of records when it was introduced, fantastic aircraft!
Nice flight.
Wow. I really had my doubts about the stability of that manned missile. What an iconic flight! BTW, the correct name for the forward flaps is "slats". Thanks for sharing this wonderful video!
I only refer to them as leading edge flaps because that is how they are labeled in the airplane as well as in the MM. Other aircraft I have worked on like the F86 and the TA4J referred to them as slats although the mechanism was entirely different.
Will certainly look into it now that you mention it. Glad you enjoyed the video!
slats are different. They typically embed into the leading edge and extend outward, not just changing the angle of attack of the leading edge. The F-14 had slats as to most airliners.
F-104 has an air ducting arrangement using hot engine bleed air vented over the rear flaps to make them more effective at lower airspeed. It was a system also applied to another J-79 powered fighter, the F-4 Phantom. Early "hardwing" Phantoms like B,C,D,N, RF-4 and early E except it had the system flow over the wings from forward flaps when they were deployed. After Vietnam they changed to a fully slatted arrangement such as the late E,G, and S. No more blowing hot air.
The F-104, the F-16, F-18, "hard wing F-4s, Boeing 747 (inboard wing section), F-35, F-22 and dozens of other airplanes have LEADING EDGE FLAPS and NOT SLATS! Slats are always slotted and "pop out". There are even slotted leading edge flaps for more confusion 😅
The Widow Maker.
Look up the British album from the 70's 'Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters'.
We had two squadrons of Starfighters at RAF Binbrook in '77.
When they Beat Up the Airfield on arrival, I had one go over me at about 40 feet .
That was the first plane in.
Came out of nowhere.
I jumped out of my skin, but the shows were great 😂
That wonderful J-79!!! 🤗
Crazy fast landing speed.
So good!
This Tf104g comes from Italy where i live, his base was 30 km from my home, i surely have seen it flying many many many times. Very impressive 20 years after her phasing out
What a beast when turned into the U-2 .
Enjoy these times while you can.
Ein wundervolles Flugzeug! ❤
Was knackt dort während des Flugs, z.B. ab 07:23?
Wow! That sound
My office roomnumber is F104. And although not allowed, i have a large photo of a F104 glued to the door 😂.
That was amazing. I didn't have any idea that there were still 104's airworthy besides maybe NASA. What a once in a lifetime experience to be able to fly in that backseat!
Yeahh we have a small privately owned fleet out at Kennedy space center In Florida!
What you did in some 15min it would take 1 1/2 days with my Cessna!
Haha Yeahh it really makes flying a cessna feel a bit slow now😂
And a Cessna Vne is 0.1942 Mach. 😂
Wonderful !!!! good job ...
The A and B models ejected downward. The procedure at low altitude was to roll inverted and then punch out. Yeah, right, like there's nothing else going on.
Grew up on an air base 1955 to 1967 in Canada during the cold war 104s day and night was able to sit around the end of the run way and watch take offs also got to go in hangers also right up to the flight line cold lake forever
Just so cool.
Ah the sound when the engine is spooled up for takeoff.
In the early days many pilots died in this plane. Same as the F16. The giant push to go fast and intercept was a dangerous game early on.
I love it. Bavarian Airforce 1977
Starfighters literally suck the air away from you on a high speed low pass. It's a crazy feeling
What would I have to do to get a back-seat ride in this wonderful aircraft?
Money and lots of it
I’m a mechanic on these beautiful birds so from time to time we get a functional check flight! Kindof half the reason I work here😂
@@jordanclymer12 I wondered if you worked there. Nice benefit. Thanks for the vid!
Yeah about 30K for two day course and 1-1.5 hour flight. This is from a few years ago when I chatted with Piercarlo via text, may have gone up.
Go to the F-104 web site, the requirements were there last time I checked
Why isnt Piercarlo uploading anymore? We need more footage of the starfighters
Badass !
Must be hard to stay subsonic 🚀
Dude, I am beyond jealous! Is Starfighters hiring??? A&P? Avionics?
What is the heritage of this dual? I recall that some RCAF aircraft (including one from AETE that I had a ride or two in my flight test days). Great video wonderful aircraft first flew in 1954 I believe.
This one was retired from the Italian Air Force
Sorry to be ignorant. But why are 104s still being used? What types of flights?
Hellz yea 🤠🤠
'Let's kick the tires and light the fire🔥🔥'
Do y'all sell rides in the F-104 ?!?
General Electric J-79 turbojet engine goodness.
This is awesome , even when UT taxis that thing moves fast lol
Da. Grosseto grande spillone
You have a hairy O2 mask. Totally not judging though (it's coming back into style).
I wonder if the astronauts that landed the space shuttle had F104 time?
I’d have love to flown it or at least get a ride in the F-104. I bet it is a fun airplane to fly.
Do you deploy a drag chute landing at 170?
We don’t need it here at KSC because we have 15,000ft of runway
Makes sense, thank you for the reply.
Missile with a man in it. Or "men" in this case. :) TF-104, right? Think there were only 2 built? I may be mistaken. I may have it confused with the A-10B that only two were built. Anyone know the history of this particular airframe?
This airframe is registered N991SF we imported them from Italy in 2012
At 3:19 there is a Space Shuttle off to the right side of the runway-WHAT is THIS???? I thought that the only 3 orbiters plus the Enterprise were all in museums. Is that some mock-up?
It’s a mock-up for the fire department training back in the day
A man in a missile me think.
curious as to why you hold your hands up, blocking the camera view..... on purpose ????
No just never been in the jet trying to keep my hands free of the controls while Pier is flying
Listen to the howl!
Is this a F104B or DJ?
You should make the print even smaller and only flash it for about 1 second, so to be sure, absolutely no one can read it.
Ballistic Missile.😮
The J-79 howl ..
So just our of curiosity.......how did you score this ride?
I work for Starfighters as a crew chief and got the chance to go up for the FCF after we brought it to Italy and reassembled it. Been a life dream of mine so it was amazing to finally get the chance!
@@jordanclymer12 SWEET!~!!
Bluejay 4, you should be close enough for visual contact.
I can see it now.
Whatever this is, it's big.
Two cylindrical projections on top,
one below.
Purpose--undetermined.
ISWYDT
Watch out for the tractor beam!!!!
You get a few G’s jst taxiing this bird!!!
Corvette with wings!
Haha makes sense why I love my c5 soo much!
Say hello to PierCarlo ! :D
Capt Ciacchi, fprmer Frecce Tricolori aerobatic team s pilot !
Get it while you can folks! Thanks to Rick and Piercarlo for surmounting unbelievable hurdles there is still is an option to experience the Starfighter. My takeaway 5 years ago was " it is not as easy to fly as it was when I was 22 and the cockpit seems to smaller than I remember. ruclips.net/video/Bwd0i51CKsg/видео.html
Lucky bastard! 🙂
If I ever win the lottery...
They sell rides in this thing dont they?
I don't even want to know what the fuel bill was for that flight 😮
Not cheap😂
Badass!!
Gorgeous aircraft! There are no publisher's notes. Was the boundary layer control testing done to ensure this feature was operating as it was originally designed? Or was this done as a test for either a modification or evan an aerodynamic study applicable to a new aircraft in design (e.g. NGAD, F/A-XX)?
Would be nice have the F-104 contribute to fighters in design more than 60 years later!
It was just a test to assure everything was operating within the parameters required. This aircraft was disassembled and shipped to Italy for their 100th year anniversary of their Air Force. Once reassembled back in the states I was fortunate enough to ride in the back for the functional check flight.
@@jordanclymer12 Whoa! Thanks for the reply. Sending it to Italy required a LOT of effort. It's a nice gesture to an ally to do this. It's also particularly germane since Italy was one of the NATO members who purchased the F-104. Wikipedia says Italy retired the F-104 from their Air Force in 2004. Wiki also states.... "It was the first production aircraft to achieve Mach 2, and the first aircraft to reach an altitude of 100,000 ft (30,000 m) after taking off under its own power. The Starfighter established world records for airspeed, altitude, and time-to-climb in 1958, becoming the first aircraft to hold all three simultaneously." That's one impressive set of credentials!
Yes it was a ton of work, our aircraft that are currently flying were purchased from the Italian government so it was cool to have the airplane flying back where it was originally operated!
Wonder how much it burns just taxiing
A lot😂