My dad was a "Zipper" IP in the 60's (Luke AFB). He absolutely loved that a/c. INSANELY fast. Crazy acceleration. He even loved the "banking with intent to turn" label. His two favorite birds were the F-86 & F-104. He said flying the 86 was pure poetry. The 104? He said he the 104 demanded your attention 120% of the time. Sadly dad passed away in '21. I proudly display his battered flight helmet, rattyy flight suit and his chromed spurs.
"The 104? He said he the 104 demanded your attention 120% of the time." There's a reason why the F-104 became known in the West German media as the "Widow Maker"😈.
I lived next to Luke AFB as a teenager and loved watching the F-104's, F100's, F-4's and Husky helicopters doing their thing there. I had a cousin who was an F104 pilot there and he just loved the F 104. Never forget it.
@@bruceparks3124 Hi Bruce. Lived at Luke through most of the 60's. Dad was an IP in F-86 & F-104's. He did take a year off to fly in the Southeast Asian Wargames. I really do miss growing up at Luke.
I was on an airshow in Ramstein in the 80's and there was a Starfighter group from Italy. We stood pretty near the runway and could "feel" the jets while full afterburner take off. I still remember the scene while the four planes where rushing by on the runway. A fantastic experience.
@user-eq3qk7vv9h I was a DOD contractor in UK in 1992. My group were based at RAF Lakenheath. The house I rented in Lakenheath village faced the end of the runway. My reliable alarm clock most mornings was aircraft taking off. They would pop up to maybe 1000 feet in afterburner, then turn off afterburner for climb out. I was close enough for them to be very loud. When I first got there it was F-111, then the base transitioned to F-15.
To put some perspective on this aircraft, the F-104’s first flight was Mar 4 1954, ten years after WW2 and 52 years after the Wright brothers first flight at Kitty-hawk. For me it is even harder to fathom, my grandfather was born in 1889. When he was born the US and European Railroads were still relatively young technology and my grandparents literally went from a world with NO CARS, NO Planes, and most people either walked or utilized animals for transportation. When my grandparents passed away in their 90’s, the Space Shuttle had launched and computers were becoming “personal”. I’m 57, a retired airline pilot. When I was in the US Navy, Spain, Germany, Italy and US still had a few flying at NASA. When I first began flying for an airline many of our captains had time in the F-104. They loved flying the aircraft.
It's amazing times we have lived in that's for sure . When I think that my GGGrandfather fought in the Civil War and his daughter, who I'm sure he kissed also kissed me when I was a kid . Things aren't as long ago as it would seem.
@@chrismaurer2075 - My GGGrandfather also fought in the Civil War, joining up only 3 years after arriving from Ireland (another victim of the potato blight).
@@chrismaurer2075 - That's a great question. All I know for sure (and I got this from my grandfather's research on his grandfather) is that his name was Daniel, he arrived in 1858 and he served in the 3rd Massachusetts Regulars as a farrier (horse caretaker). Now I've got to look further.
@@hagerty1952 I know that for a lot of Irish immigrants as soon as they arrived they were forced to enlist right on the docks. What a shame they come over here with their families probably spending all they had for the trip just to get here and forced to fight in a war and for some never seeing their families again.
I was a Marine F-4B pilot working at Dyess AFB on metal portable runways and after making a few arrested landings, I and my RIO went for a spin in the area. I spotted an F-104 minding his own business and decided to see if we could get it on. After a few close flybys, I got his attention and the fight was on! I realized right away that I had to keep him in a horizontal fight since I could not stay with him vertically. Also, head-on he was nonexistent! Our radar would not pick him up until he was within gun range. But the old F-4 was a brute and we got him after one of his zooms to altitude since we could fly slower and turn better than he. It was a real experience fighting a different plane than we normally practiced against. After this fun time, we had a hydraulic failure and had to make an emergency an arrested landing. I was used to arrested landings but the Air Force wasn't. They made me wait as long as I could with remaining fuel which was kind of weird. It turned out that the base commander got the film crew to set up to film our landing as well as having all of the top officers wives watching atop a big mobile control van.
My grandparents lived not far from Kleine Brogel (Belgium air base). As a child and adult I saw them fly over from 64 to 81... and then the sound... the F104 forever in my heart... Thank you very much for this video to share !
What a wonderful field KB is, let's hope this Starfighter comes to Sanicole one day. He is flying again and I have already made a request to the organization.
I lived at CFB Cold Lake during the Starfighter era. These were the airplanes in my sky when I was a child. I saw one at an air show do a "zoom", a near vertical climb out of sight but audible well past invisibilty. It was loud and proud! Such a pure expression of speed and intent!
I was a passenger in light plane on a final into YWG where a RCAF CF-104 was taking off on runway 27. He got halfway down the strip and stood on his black smoky tail and disappeared into the low ceiling. The tower said for all to hear " No catalytic converter on that thing"
Me as well. It was good times back then as a kid. 1970-1980. Sitting at the sandpit all summer watching planes depart and arrive from Primrose weapons range. Then Maple Flag when it was large scale. Wow.
Yup, I was an Air Force brat early ‘60s at Cold Lake. Still remember them. More vivid memories of them while in the Army (RCD) at Lahr early ‘80s watching / listening to them buzz airfield.
One of my best friends from high school went into the RCAF after high school in 1967. He was killed in one of these bloody things at Cold Lake in 1978. RIP Dave Breen. Kelly Johnson's Skunk Works at Lockheed designed some great airplanes. This wasn't one of them!
I built a model of this plane in 1966 and it was so cool I later became an engineer. I worked on the space shuttle wing, the F-14, the C17, the X-29, and others. Still a cool plane.
I remember the Dutch Royal Airforce flying these jets back in the seventies. They flew them quite low and they made a great howling sound when they flew over.
I saw them in Germany as well while on fly over for P Coy in the 80's after the exercise finished 3RCR and us from flyover from 2RCR were all on top big hill relaxing on top apcs etc than 2 Canadian Starfighters came from below us than went full afterburners straight up in the air really close to us all on the apc's right above us. It ws like looking up at a rocket ship engines going straight up above you. Always will remember that.:)
Ik ben ooit (1977) op excursie op de Vlb.Lwd geweest terwijl ik nog op de K.K.S.L. zat. We mochten langs de rolbaan kijken hoe 2 104's naar de startbaan taxieden. Uiteraard, toen we in de kont daarvan keken, zetten de heren vliegers hun 104's (voor de lol) hun kisten in AB. De vouw werd ons uit de broek geblazen. 😂 Dank je wel voor het delen.
Heerlijk. Ik ben er nooit dichtbij geweest, maar het geluid van overvliegende Starfighters vond ik als kind fenomenaal. Het was misschien een vliegende doodskist, maar wel eentje met ballen.
The Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) was one of the largest users and was surely the longest user of the F104, retiring the F104 ASA (ASA = Weapon System Update) in 2004. The “Spillone” (big needle) served as, interceptor, ground attack 🤦 and reconnaissance, with a total of 360 of all models. In this latter role the A.M. F104 supported operation Desert Storm. Strangely enough, it’s extremely rare to see any A.M. F104 on video.🤷🏻♂️ The Spillone was infamous also with the Italians for his bad tendencies, but somehow they managed to make it work, saving a lot of money and jumping many generations of jets till the F35.🤩
One of the highlights of the Biggin Hill airshows in the 1970's used to be the displays carried out by a team of four Starfighters...the displays were awesome and the noise of those four aircraft was just something else!....
A few days ago, I saw an F-104 at a museum in Idaho. It looked to be in good shape, but was stored outdoors and needs to be moved inside soon, in my opinion.
I fell in love with the Starfighter in the early 80's when we had one on static display outside our USAF basic training dorm. (02!) Didn't get to see one fly until stationed in Turkey years later. Was all the more impressed!
I used to live near Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. They would often take off to the west, make a left turn and head out over the ocean. The flight path took them directly over our house. Awesome. There is something about the older jet fighters that makes them memorable. The other plane I remember seeing there quite often was the U-2. One of them flew directly over me as I was driving south on A1A one day. The high pitched whine definitely got my attention.
Someone in Northern CA central valley area is still operating a U-2, not sure if it's military or maybe NASA, but I've seen it do a touch and go at one of the little municipal airports out here a few times in the last couple years. Very impressive aircraft, I didn't know any were still in use until I saw it.
Had 2 F104's take off while a group of us erks were digging out a German F4 that had gone off the end of the runway by a couple of hundred feet, he was in up to his axles. Of course it was tipping down with rain all day so we were soaked through, F104's lined up and went into reheat as they do and showered us in hot water til they went brakes off and disappeared down the runway. RAF St Mawgan circa 1979 Happy times as a J/T on Nimrod Line Flight.
Because Sir, I am in love with this aircraft. This magnificent engine of steel and gleam. This aerodynamic Delilah. Its uptilted wings and sidewinder rockets. Its clear curving cockpit cover, the whirling of dials and needles...
Last time I saw the F-104 flying was back in 1999 at Decimomannu, Sardinia, Italy. At the same time I saw Eurofighters practicing for the Le Bourget Air Show. Quite interesting to see the "past" and the "future" at around the same time. PS: I was maintaining and repairing German PA200 Tornado aircraft those days.
I grew up in Palmdale, California, back in the 60's. Every day F-104s would circle over my house before landing, what a great sound. What made it so much better was that my next-door neighbor was Glenn Reaves, the Lockheed F-104 test pilot who was involved in demonstrating the F-104 to German and Jordanian officials. I enjoyed many talks with him about what it was like to fly in such a fantastic aircraft, and even got to see him demo the plane at Edwards AFB. Great memories.
What wonderful memories, my father flew the Starfighter at Volkel Airbase in the Netherlands. I never realized how beautiful this was when I was a little boy and was allowed to be at the airbase with him. The F-104 is next to the F-14 my favorite jet fighter that I unfortunately never got to see fly in real life.
@@fransmargadant How wonderful that your father was an F-104 pilot! Fantastic! And to be able to be at the airbase with him, that's great. it reminds me of the evening my neighbor and F-104 pilot Glenn Reaves took my brother and I to AF Plant 42 in Palmdale during a night training mission for the German student pilots. Watched them start up, take off, then into the control tower to listen to the radio chatter. During the era that Top Gun was in San Diego, I used to make business trips to San Diego after I was an engineer and watched F-14s fly day and night. Nice hearing from you and best of luck.
In 1979 - 1980 op de basis Leeuwarden een deel van mijn diensttijd door gebracht. Vaak als onderdeel van de MD aan de baan gestaan. Herinneringen komen weer boven. 😃
What a beautiful sound. The RCAF had 200 of these in service up until the 1980s. Also known as The Widow Maker. A beauty. I still prefer the F4 Phantom from this era.
Lived in Niagara Falls in base housing. Dad maitained long range radar at lockport AFB. No runway. The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station base next to Niagara Falls airport had these as intercepters. There was also F101 Voodoo. These 104;s were fast and loud. Loved it!
@@fransmargadant Not sure. Lol. Long time ago. Any jet with afterburners is cool. Love seeing the B1 kick them in! A bomber withe 4 afterburners is awesome and loud. Love it.
Born and raised in Lockport left in 81. House was on extended final to Niagara Falls. Voodoos flew in flights of two alot c130 usually 3 aircraft. Remember driving by Lockport AFS with my parents and seeing the big radar golf balls
@@fransmargadant Was on a boat in the OHIO river in Louisville KY for thunder over Louisville. B1 went right over us , hit the after burners and climbed. WOW ‼️. BAD A$$
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (aka "The Missile With A Man In It")/ One of My Favorite Cold War-era Aircraft. Colonel Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager, famous for breaking the sound barrier 15 years earlier, was selected to set a new altitude record of 120,000 feet, with a modified Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. Colonel Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager reached a peak altitude of approximately 108,000 feet (32,918 meters), nearly two miles (3.2 kilometers) lower than the record altitude set by Major Robert W. Smith just four days earlier.
very familiar audio! I used to work st an airport that had Starfighters, Civilian Acrobatic group, who at the time were based out of St Pete/Clearwater. Amazing planes with a unique soundtrack, whether taxiing or flying...
I loved it when the German pilots flew into RAF Alconbury in their F 104's I would meet them in the ramp patrol truck and get to check out the planes what an awesome jet wow that was almost 40 years ago seems like yesterday
@@fransmargadant most of them spoke English and between that and the German I knew we understood each other, truly a great bunch of guys occasionally other nations that had f104's would come to the base my all time favorite plane the missle with a man in it as they call it.
Turkey was still flying them when I was stationed there from 91-93. They were trying to get F-16’s for replacements….If you want to hear something really loud and earth shaking checkout an F-111 on full afterburner takeoff! Especially at night-at least a 20ft flame!! Cheers
Performance wise, no match for today’s aircraft but far more beautiful in my opinion. Pencil thin, sleek and that marvellous howl sends a nostalgic shiver up my spine every time.
Damn that howl is intense! I understand now why some named this aircraft the 'Widowmaker', no wonder it was so hard to fly...It sounds like wild beast.
My father was in school in Pakistan when he got the chance to witness F-104 Takeoff and flyby at one of the Independence day celebrations in the mid 1960s. Pakistan probable the only country outside of NATO to fly F104. To this day he maintains, that back in the 60s if got to witness the rocket needle take off on full afterburners, there is very little that will impress you after that.
@@Hattonbank Good questionQ A total of 2,578 aircraft of this F-104G were built in the United States and elsewhere, including at Fokker. They were supplied to several countries such as Canada, West Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Pakistan, Kuomintang-China (Taiwan) and Japan. Furthermore, Norway, Denmark, Greece, Turkey and Spain received their Starfighters under a military aid program (MDAP). The J-79 engine was built under license in Europe.
The F104 got the nickname widoaker because of pilot error. I worked with men that flew it and they stated as long as you gave it 100+% of your attention it was as safe as any other plane. You just had to fly it all the time. PS. The F104 was the first airplane to go mach 1 straight up and here were I live they tested it and air traffic controllers that worked it said they say it return from test flights with the paint burned off.
Childhood comes back. My parents lived back in the 1960 in Schleswig, Northern Germany, close to the Navy-Airbase Jagel (today Luftwaffe base Schleswig). I used to ride by bicycle to the back fence, north side, where I had a good overview over the runways. Impressive, especially in dusk with the afterburner-flames.
The American Lockheed has secretly developing a supersonic fighter plane, the F-104G Starfighter. With this jet, speed is more important than maneuverability. In 1954, the F-104G Starfighter made its first flight and subsequently set several altitude and speed records. But it also has the dubious distinction of being the most unsafe fighter jet.
We had them flying over our school several times a day in the 60s. The noise level was so high it was impossible to hear anything else inside the building.
So many planes have the nickname "widowmaker." The B-26 had that name. I think the Corsair was also called that. Every next high performance model introduced gets the name.
It was well sorted by the 70s. All the bad news happened in the early 60s, before training regimens were really tightened up. It was an unforgiving aircraft but human flight is an unforgiving challenge. It was quite safe to fly if you knew what you were up to.
When I was very small, we lived in a house about 1/4 mi. off the N/S runway of S. Weymouth Naval Air Station in Massachusetts. When scrambling to meet a Bear coming down off the Arctic Run (that ventured into US claimed territory) they'd be supersonic OVER the house. We heard that howl all the time in the early 50's and 60's.
Imagine the shock and terror if an A-10 could emit that noise a few second before a gun run. Hearing that, virtually a instant before the 30mm shells hit... Yeah that would create a bit of a mess blood and poop everywhere. I grew up at George AFB home of the F-104 and the F-4 Weasels. Both of those jets were an earful and we lived 6 miles from the base. Oddly though the strangest noise was the first time I heard a C-5 flyover our house. Once you hear that lawnmower sound you recognize instantly from then on.
In the late 70's I was stationed in Germany the Luftwaffe still flew F104's. They would make low flying passes on our tanks during reforger and we could clearly see the pilots faces. It was just to cool! F4's would make runs on us as well but never got as low as the Germans.
When I was at RAF Upper Heyford, we would stop work when the Germán's were taking off in their F-104s, no sooner off the ground, wheels up and a looping of the runway, seeming to have an ongoing competition as to see how close to the runway they could get and then depart for home....Scary at times....
That was so awesome. We don't see aircraft anything like this near where I live in BC, Canada. Most around here are civilian aircraft Thank you for sharing.
I tried looking up the Vref numbers, but couldn’t find them. Downwind leg/ approach to landing 220/ 170 kts? One page mentioned. Its downwind leg, is my Vne!
Well, at low speeds they barely do, they're very much optimized for supersonic flight. To improve lift at low speeds it not only has trailing- and leading-edge flaps but also a special "boundary layer control (BLC) system" that blows bleed air from the engines over the trailing edge flaps when landing flaps are selected. A consequence of this is that you have to land at high engine power and you can't throttle back until touchdown or you will experience sudden loss of lift and uncommanded roll. Fun!
I saw the last public airshow with the German Air Force flying F-104's. It was probably 30 years ago. Never heard anything that loud ever.. what a machine!!
My dad was a "Zipper" IP in the 60's (Luke AFB). He absolutely loved that a/c. INSANELY fast. Crazy acceleration. He even loved the "banking with intent to turn" label. His two favorite birds were the F-86 & F-104. He said flying the 86 was pure poetry. The 104? He said he the 104 demanded your attention 120% of the time.
Sadly dad passed away in '21. I proudly display his battered flight helmet, rattyy flight suit and his chromed spurs.
"The 104? He said he the 104 demanded your attention 120% of the time."
There's a reason why the F-104 became known in the West German media as the "Widow Maker"😈.
such a cool guy
I lived next to Luke AFB as a teenager and loved watching the F-104's, F100's, F-4's and Husky helicopters doing their thing there. I had a cousin who was an F104 pilot there and he just loved the F 104. Never forget it.
I appreciate his service, bless him.
@@bruceparks3124 Hi Bruce. Lived at Luke through most of the 60's. Dad was an IP in F-86 & F-104's. He did take a year off to fly in the Southeast Asian Wargames. I really do miss growing up at Luke.
I was on an airshow in Ramstein in the 80's and there was a Starfighter group from Italy. We stood pretty near the runway and could "feel" the jets while full afterburner take off. I still remember the scene while the four planes where rushing by on the runway. A fantastic experience.
Never seen one in an airshow. You are so lucky! 😊
@@fransmargadant Yeah, my dad worked at the Ramstein Air Base. Saw a lot there.
Same happened to me Greenham Common in the UK I could feel my chest vibrating
I grew up at raf lakenheath with a summer job at a flightline warehouse .104s right there all the smells and sounds...Dad was 48th FMS
@user-eq3qk7vv9h I was a DOD contractor in UK in 1992. My group were based at RAF Lakenheath. The house I rented in Lakenheath village faced the end of the runway. My reliable alarm clock most mornings was aircraft taking off. They would pop up to maybe 1000 feet in afterburner, then turn off afterburner for climb out. I was close enough for them to be very loud. When I first got there it was F-111, then the base transitioned to F-15.
To put some perspective on this aircraft, the F-104’s first flight was Mar 4 1954, ten years after WW2 and 52 years after the Wright brothers first flight at Kitty-hawk.
For me it is even harder to fathom, my grandfather was born in 1889. When he was born the US and European Railroads were still relatively young technology and my grandparents literally went from a world with NO CARS, NO Planes, and most people either walked or utilized animals for transportation. When my grandparents passed away in their 90’s, the Space Shuttle had launched and computers were becoming “personal”.
I’m 57, a retired airline pilot. When I was in the US Navy, Spain, Germany, Italy and US still had a few flying at NASA.
When I first began flying for an airline many of our captains had time in the F-104. They loved flying the aircraft.
It's amazing times we have lived in that's for sure . When I think that my GGGrandfather fought in the Civil War and his daughter, who I'm sure he kissed also kissed me when I was a kid . Things aren't as long ago as it would seem.
@@chrismaurer2075 - My GGGrandfather also fought in the Civil War, joining up only 3 years after arriving from Ireland (another victim of the potato blight).
@@hagerty1952 Was he, like a lot of Irish immigrants forced to enlist ?
@@chrismaurer2075 - That's a great question. All I know for sure (and I got this from my grandfather's research on his grandfather) is that his name was Daniel, he arrived in 1858 and he served in the 3rd Massachusetts Regulars as a farrier (horse caretaker). Now I've got to look further.
@@hagerty1952 I know that for a lot of Irish immigrants as soon as they arrived they were forced to enlist right on the docks. What a shame they come over here with their families probably spending all they had for the trip just to get here and forced to fight in a war and for some never seeing their families again.
I was a Marine F-4B pilot working at Dyess AFB on metal portable runways and after making a few arrested landings, I and my RIO went for a spin in the area. I spotted an F-104 minding his own business and decided to see if we could get it on. After a few close flybys, I got his attention and the fight was on! I realized right away that I had to keep him in a horizontal fight since I could not stay with him vertically. Also, head-on he was nonexistent! Our radar would not pick him up until he was within gun range. But the old F-4 was a brute and we got him after one of his zooms to altitude since we could fly slower and turn better than he. It was a real experience fighting a different plane than we normally practiced against. After this fun time, we had a hydraulic failure and had to make an emergency an arrested landing. I was used to arrested landings but the Air Force wasn't. They made me wait as long as I could with remaining fuel which was kind of weird. It turned out that the base commander got the film crew to set up to film our landing as well as having all of the top officers wives watching atop a big mobile control van.
Wow, that's an awesome job you had! 👏
It's bizarre but the F-104 still looks futuristic.
Like drawn by a 10 year old.
Fantastic looking monster
Literally was thinking the same thing, something I would draw as a kid 😊
Ditto. Probably why it's so reminiscent of something I'd expect to see in Thunderbirds or similar Gerry Anderson creation.
Reminds me of the 50-60's scifi movies.
Just forgot to put the wings on , but then the F-104 get by ok without them
@@nounoufriend1442 The F-104 was known by its' pilots as the "Manned Missile".
My grandparents lived not far from Kleine Brogel (Belgium air base). As a child and adult I saw them fly over from 64 to 81... and then the sound... the F104 forever in my heart... Thank you very much for this video to share !
What a wonderful field KB is, let's hope this Starfighter comes to Sanicole one day. He is flying again and I have already made a request to the organization.
I lived at CFB Cold Lake during the Starfighter era. These were the airplanes in my sky when I was a child. I saw one at an air show do a "zoom", a near vertical climb out of sight but audible well past invisibilty. It was loud and proud! Such a pure expression of speed and intent!
I was a passenger in light plane on a final into YWG where a RCAF CF-104 was taking off on runway 27. He got halfway down the strip and stood on his black smoky tail and disappeared into the low ceiling. The tower said for all to hear " No catalytic converter on that thing"
Me as well. It was good times back then as a kid. 1970-1980. Sitting at the sandpit all summer watching planes depart and arrive from Primrose weapons range. Then Maple Flag when it was large scale. Wow.
Yup, I was an Air Force brat early ‘60s at Cold Lake. Still remember them. More vivid memories of them while in the Army (RCD) at Lahr early ‘80s watching / listening to them buzz airfield.
I lived near Lahr, West Germany as a kid. I was on a flight path to the base there. Starfighters were all too common. Love that howl!
One of my best friends from high school went into the RCAF after high school in 1967. He was killed in one of these bloody things at Cold Lake in 1978. RIP Dave Breen. Kelly Johnson's Skunk Works at Lockheed designed some great airplanes. This wasn't one of them!
I built a model of this plane in 1966 and it was so cool I later became an engineer. I worked on the space shuttle wing, the F-14, the C17, the X-29, and others. Still a cool plane.
Wow, tht's awesome 😊
The sound of the F-104 is a glorious one! That howl gives me goosebumps!
Me too!😊
I can still remember that howl as the Danish Air Force F-104 flew overhead in Denmark in the 80's!
I remember the Dutch Royal Airforce flying these jets back in the seventies.
They flew them quite low and they made a great howling sound when they flew over.
One of Kelly Johnson's masterpieces . His legacy was so amazing it reads like fiction .
I was stationed on a German and Canadian AFB in Germany that were using the F-104s at the time. Loved the sound of these wonderful aircraft.
You are a lucky man, love to see some videos of your Starfighters too 🙂
I saw them in Germany as well while on fly over for P Coy in the 80's after the exercise finished 3RCR and us from flyover from 2RCR were all on top big hill relaxing on top apcs etc than 2 Canadian Starfighters came from below us than went full afterburners straight up in the air really close to us all on the apc's right above us. It ws like looking up at a rocket ship engines going straight up above you. Always will remember that.:)
Twerpy looking little thing!😂🥳😩
I lived right across from the runway CFB Baden 84 - 88. Saw both F104 and then the CF 18s - wild !!!
Ik ben ooit (1977) op excursie op de Vlb.Lwd geweest terwijl ik nog op de K.K.S.L. zat. We mochten langs de rolbaan kijken hoe 2 104's naar de startbaan taxieden. Uiteraard, toen we in de kont daarvan keken, zetten de heren vliegers hun 104's (voor de lol) hun kisten in AB. De vouw werd ons uit de broek geblazen. 😂
Dank je wel voor het delen.
Heerlijk. Ik ben er nooit dichtbij geweest, maar het geluid van overvliegende Starfighters vond ik als kind fenomenaal. Het was misschien een vliegende doodskist, maar wel eentje met ballen.
@@ProMace Zou willen dat deze weer eens op een airshow kwam, kippenvel!
The Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) was one of the largest users and was surely the longest user of the F104, retiring the F104 ASA (ASA = Weapon System Update) in 2004. The “Spillone” (big needle) served as, interceptor, ground attack 🤦 and reconnaissance, with a total of 360 of all models. In this latter role the A.M. F104 supported operation Desert Storm. Strangely enough, it’s extremely rare to see any A.M. F104 on video.🤷🏻♂️ The Spillone was infamous also with the Italians for his bad tendencies, but somehow they managed to make it work, saving a lot of money and jumping many generations of jets till the F35.🤩
One of the highlights of the Biggin Hill airshows in the 1970's used to be the displays carried out by a team of four Starfighters...the displays were awesome and the noise of those four aircraft was just something else!....
Like to see a video, never been there
A few days ago, I saw an F-104 at a museum in Idaho. It looked to be in good shape, but was stored outdoors and needs to be moved inside soon, in my opinion.
I fell in love with the Starfighter in the early 80's when we had one on static display outside our USAF basic training dorm. (02!) Didn't get to see one fly until stationed in Turkey years later. Was all the more impressed!
lol that rattling sound during the recording is the camera operators fillings shaking in their head from the loudness!
What is it actually? Sounds like a bell being rung manually.
Afterburner and it still took that much runway to get in the air! Still remember the model I built back when I was a kid - 1960s.
Lived in West Germany 79-83 in Baden on the Base. Loved the 104's!!!
Nice!
I used to live near Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. They would often take off to the west, make a left turn and head out over the ocean. The flight path took them directly over our house. Awesome. There is something about the older jet fighters that makes them memorable. The other plane I remember seeing there quite often was the U-2. One of them flew directly over me as I was driving south on A1A one day. The high pitched whine definitely got my attention.
What makes older planes memorable is that the only thing that mattered back then was POWER :)
Someone in Northern CA central valley area is still operating a U-2, not sure if it's military or maybe NASA, but I've seen it do a touch and go at one of the little municipal airports out here a few times in the last couple years. Very impressive aircraft, I didn't know any were still in use until I saw it.
Had 2 F104's take off while a group of us erks were digging out a German F4 that had gone off the end of the runway by a couple of hundred feet, he was in up to his axles. Of course it was tipping down with rain all day so we were soaked through, F104's lined up and went into reheat as they do and showered us in hot water til they went brakes off and disappeared down the runway. RAF St Mawgan circa 1979 Happy times as a J/T on Nimrod Line Flight.
You are so lucky you saw her, nice story by the way!🥰
Because Sir, I am in love with this aircraft. This magnificent engine of steel and gleam.
This aerodynamic Delilah. Its uptilted wings and sidewinder rockets.
Its clear curving cockpit cover, the whirling of dials and needles...
I grew up in Lahr, W. Germany from 1967 - 72 and saw and heard these gorgeous planes every day. The scream.........
Last time I saw the F-104 flying was back in 1999 at Decimomannu, Sardinia, Italy. At the same time I saw Eurofighters practicing for the Le Bourget Air Show. Quite interesting to see the "past" and the "future" at around the same time.
PS: I was maintaining and repairing German PA200 Tornado aircraft those days.
I grew up in Palmdale, California, back in the 60's. Every day F-104s would circle over my house before landing, what a great sound. What made it so much better was that my next-door neighbor was Glenn Reaves, the Lockheed F-104 test pilot who was involved in demonstrating the F-104 to German and Jordanian officials. I enjoyed many talks with him about what it was like to fly in such a fantastic aircraft, and even got to see him demo the plane at Edwards AFB. Great memories.
What wonderful memories, my father flew the Starfighter at Volkel Airbase in the Netherlands. I never realized how beautiful this was when I was a little boy and was allowed to be at the airbase with him. The F-104 is next to the F-14 my favorite jet fighter that I unfortunately never got to see fly in real life.
@@fransmargadant How wonderful that your father was an F-104 pilot! Fantastic! And to be able to be at the airbase with him, that's great. it reminds me of the evening my neighbor and F-104 pilot Glenn Reaves took my brother and I to AF Plant 42 in Palmdale during a night training mission for the German student pilots. Watched them start up, take off, then into the control tower to listen to the radio chatter. During the era that Top Gun was in San Diego, I used to make business trips to San Diego after I was an engineer and watched F-14s fly day and night. Nice hearing from you and best of luck.
@@dongorney2533 WOW, sounds you've got a lot of fun. Very recognizable😉
In 1979 - 1980 op de basis Leeuwarden een deel van mijn diensttijd door gebracht. Vaak als onderdeel van de MD aan de baan gestaan. Herinneringen komen weer boven. 😃
Wow !!! That was awesome - thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Sir! You're welcome ☺
What a beautiful sound. The RCAF had 200 of these in service up until the 1980s. Also known as The Widow Maker. A beauty. I still prefer the F4 Phantom from this era.
I was at RAF Gutersloh, the F104 was a regular visitor to us
Lived in Niagara Falls in base housing. Dad maitained long range radar at lockport AFB. No runway. The Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station base next to Niagara Falls airport had these as intercepters. There was also F101 Voodoo. These 104;s were fast and loud. Loved it!
The F101 Voodoo, even louder than the Starfighter?
@@fransmargadant
Not sure. Lol. Long time ago. Any jet with afterburners is cool. Love seeing the B1 kick them in! A bomber withe 4 afterburners is awesome and loud. Love it.
@@hipoman8087 hope to see the B1 someday, never seen it in an airshow. You're so lucky!
Born and raised in Lockport left in 81. House was on extended final to Niagara Falls. Voodoos flew in flights of two alot c130 usually 3 aircraft. Remember driving by Lockport AFS with my parents and seeing the big radar golf balls
@@fransmargadant
Was on a boat in the OHIO river in Louisville KY for thunder over Louisville. B1 went right over us , hit the after burners and climbed. WOW ‼️. BAD A$$
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (aka "The Missile With A Man In It")/ One of My Favorite Cold War-era Aircraft. Colonel Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager, famous for breaking the sound barrier 15 years earlier, was selected to set a new altitude record of 120,000 feet, with a modified Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. Colonel Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager reached a peak altitude of approximately 108,000 feet (32,918 meters), nearly two miles (3.2 kilometers) lower than the record altitude set by Major Robert W. Smith just four days earlier.
An engine with wings is how I always saw these planes...they were common when I was stationed in Germany, sheer speed...
very familiar audio! I used to work st an airport that had Starfighters, Civilian Acrobatic group, who at the time were based out of St Pete/Clearwater. Amazing planes with a unique soundtrack, whether taxiing or flying...
Old school. Widow-maker. Nice to see. What Major Nelson was always shown to fly in I Dream of Jeannie. 😄
I loved it when the German pilots flew into RAF Alconbury in their F 104's I would meet them in the ramp patrol truck and get to check out the planes what an awesome jet wow that was almost 40 years ago seems like yesterday
Hope you had a nice time too! 😉
@@fransmargadant most of them spoke English and between that and the German I knew we understood each other, truly a great bunch of guys occasionally other nations that had f104's would come to the base my all time favorite plane the missle with a man in it as they call it.
Strange sound. Thanks for the post!
I believe the F-104 was retired before I was even born, but I always loved the design. It is a beautiful jet!
She is, isn't she?!
Got to see them at Chatham NB back in the sixties. Was working for a contractor who had a contract working at the base. Cool planes.
Turkey was still flying them when I was stationed there from 91-93. They were trying to get F-16’s for replacements….If you want to hear something really loud and earth shaking checkout an F-111 on full afterburner takeoff! Especially at night-at least a 20ft flame!! Cheers
The F104 is still an aswesome jet!
Gilze-Rijen AFB in the 70's after school... Never forget the noise and the smell! Still goosebumps!
Nice! Me like 😊
Performance wise, no match for today’s aircraft but far more beautiful in my opinion. Pencil thin, sleek and that marvellous howl sends a nostalgic shiver up my spine every time.
Hear, hear 😊
Damn that howl is intense!
I understand now why some named this aircraft the 'Widowmaker', no wonder it was so hard to fly...It sounds like wild beast.
Such a beautiful airplane.
Yes she is. Hope to see her at Sanicole! 🥰
What a beauty, the wings are so slim, even cleansing people was advised about wing leading edge.
the howling of this engine ... so awesome
My father was in school in Pakistan when he got the chance to witness F-104 Takeoff and flyby at one of the Independence day celebrations in the mid 1960s. Pakistan probable the only country outside of NATO to fly F104. To this day he maintains, that back in the 60s if got to witness the rocket needle take off on full afterburners, there is very little that will impress you after that.
Nice story, love it! 😊
Did Taiwan ever fly them, and Jordan?
@@Hattonbank Good questionQ A total of 2,578 aircraft of this F-104G were built in the United States and elsewhere, including at Fokker. They were supplied to several countries such as Canada, West Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Pakistan, Kuomintang-China (Taiwan) and Japan. Furthermore, Norway, Denmark, Greece, Turkey and Spain received their Starfighters under a military aid program (MDAP). The J-79 engine was built under license in Europe.
The F104 got the nickname widoaker because of pilot error. I worked with men that flew it and they stated as long as you gave it 100+% of your attention it was as safe as any other plane. You just had to fly it all the time. PS. The F104 was the first airplane to go mach 1 straight up and here were I live they tested it and air traffic controllers that worked it said they say it return from test flights with the paint burned off.
Wow, thanks for the info! 👏
The sound of the afterburner made my Belgian Shepard go nuts 😂. One of my favorite aircraft
She is indeed a screamer📢
Awesome looking aircraft
She is a beauty! 🥰
Dad loved watching the F-104 take off in Switzerland or Italy many decades ago. ❤
Childhood comes back. My parents lived back in the 1960 in Schleswig, Northern Germany, close to the Navy-Airbase Jagel (today Luftwaffe base Schleswig). I used to ride by bicycle to the back fence, north side, where I had a good overview over the runways. Impressive, especially in dusk with the afterburner-flames.
I had an F/O that flew these in Speed Trials on The Lake. He said you had to be on top of it every millisecond. And slowing down was just as hard.
Big engine in smallest body…it’s a HOTROD. And good looking to go with, my favorite jet plane.
This was the plane at my barracks during my basic training. Leading edges of the wings were sharp.
The American Lockheed has secretly developing a supersonic fighter plane, the F-104G Starfighter. With this jet, speed is more important than maneuverability. In 1954, the F-104G Starfighter made its first flight and subsequently set several altitude and speed records. But it also has the dubious distinction of being the most unsafe fighter jet.
The AB is not making the howling sound - it's the 90-94% thrust range that make the sound
The kriegsmarine 4 ship display team was really something. Turning circle the size of a small country,but NOISY!
You know your jets 👍
@@fransmargadant thank you. But don't get me started on vulcans in general, or XH558 in particular, ha ha.
Used to love these and the Lighting back in the day.
Thank you Frans and succes !
Awesome video! Light up the afterburners!!
Thank you, Sir!
@@fransmargadant you’re welcome
I’ve never seen one. What a beautiful machine. ❤
Truly iconic sound and shape
So true
Thanks for sharing!
Yo're welcome, Sir!
NICE! Love the howl of that GE powerplant!!
goosebumps ☺
We had them flying over our school several times a day in the 60s.
The noise level was so high it was impossible to hear anything else inside the building.
WOW, especially the howl is wonderful to hear.
Sound of music 🎶
It's remarkable to think that a commercial jumbo-jet, with four jet engines, can be quieter that a single-engine jet fighter.
I can't believe that the F 104 was still flying after it earned its' nickname "widowmaker" in the late 70's or early 80's.
So many planes have the nickname "widowmaker." The B-26 had that name. I think the Corsair was also called that. Every next high performance model introduced gets the name.
@@TheZX11I seem to remember that F4U was nicknamed Ensign Eliminator.
It was well sorted by the 70s. All the bad news happened in the early 60s, before training regimens were really tightened up. It was an unforgiving aircraft but human flight is an unforgiving challenge. It was quite safe to fly if you knew what you were up to.
Life on the cutting edge. Experiences most of us will never know. Like a war - hopefully.@@fraserhenderson7839
@@Nivola1953 I heard that one too. Because?,... the cockpit was far back and low. blind approach to the carrier's stern.
When I was very small, we lived in a house about 1/4 mi. off the N/S runway of S. Weymouth Naval Air Station in Massachusetts. When scrambling to meet a Bear coming down off the Arctic Run (that ventured into US claimed territory) they'd be supersonic OVER the house. We heard that howl all the time in the early 50's and 60's.
Imagine the shock and terror if an A-10 could emit that noise a few second before a gun run. Hearing that, virtually a instant before the 30mm shells hit... Yeah that would create a bit of a mess blood and poop everywhere. I grew up at George AFB home of the F-104 and the F-4 Weasels. Both of those jets were an earful and we lived 6 miles from the base. Oddly though the strangest noise was the first time I heard a C-5 flyover our house. Once you hear that lawnmower sound you recognize instantly from then on.
In the late 70's I was stationed in Germany
the Luftwaffe still flew F104's. They would make low flying passes on our tanks during reforger and we could clearly see the pilots faces. It was just to cool! F4's would make runs on us as well but never got as low as the Germans.
Well, that's a nice piece of history
Gen. Chuck Yeager took this bird to astonishing altitudes
With the help of a rocket engine!
I had no idea that these were still flying wow
Well.... not a lot, a few in the US and this one in Europe 😊
When I was at RAF Upper Heyford, we would stop work when the Germán's were taking off in their F-104s, no sooner off the ground, wheels up and a looping of the runway, seeming to have an ongoing competition as to see how close to the runway they could get and then depart for home....Scary at times....
Very cool! Is that a bell ringing? Just curious what the sound is. Bell / rattle?
That's for traffic at the air base to stop
That was so awesome.
We don't see aircraft anything like this near where I live in BC, Canada. Most around here are civilian aircraft
Thank you for sharing.
You're welcome!
De oude J 79 van GE doet het nog goed.Wat een mooie kist.Well done Kelly en bedankt voor de video Frans !
Graag gedaan, bedankt voor het mooie compliment. Nu maar maar hopen dat hij een keer op Sanicole Airshow komt, dat zou een toppertje zijn! 😊
Old school, so cool.
if it looks beautiful, it will fly beautiful. Clarence "Kelly" Johnson.
Nice to see these old fighter jets continue to fly.
My favorite plane
J79, baby! And an F-4 has TWO of them!
Kelly Johnson. Definitely an alien.
Not used to seeing a 2-seat F-104. What country was this plane from?
Norwegian Starfighter
Still sexy as hell. Put an updated fire control system in them, put them back in service and watch them outrun the F-22's and F-35's!
It sounds like my Kerosene/Diesel heater working its way up to "high" on a cold morning!
I can remember when one of these intercepted the USS Enterprise and totally shocked Capt Kirk.
Easy Peezy. Just turn on the tractor beam.
How rude of that rusty old jet to interrupt the lovely clanging going on in the background. Such is life...
EPIC!!!
GOOSEBUMPS!!!
Same here!😉
Always amazed how those little wings provide sufficient lift.
She is a slick beauty! 😊
I tried looking up the Vref numbers, but couldn’t find them. Downwind leg/ approach to landing 220/ 170 kts? One page mentioned. Its downwind leg, is my Vne!
@@fransmargadantHow fast does it turn? Eventually.
With enough speed everything provides enough lift, still landing with this thing must by quite nasty.
Well, at low speeds they barely do, they're very much optimized for supersonic flight. To improve lift at low speeds it not only has trailing- and leading-edge flaps but also a special "boundary layer control (BLC) system" that blows bleed air from the engines over the trailing edge flaps when landing flaps are selected. A consequence of this is that you have to land at high engine power and you can't throttle back until touchdown or you will experience sudden loss of lift and uncommanded roll. Fun!
The back seat of an F-104 is the last place I would want to be and I worked on the flight deck in the late 80's.
Beauty!
You could here them daily in Germany from the 1960‘s to 1980‘s. The sound stood out from all other aircraft. 104 was unique.
Sleek and chic 👍✈️
Like that groan a C-5A makes when taking off. There's nothing else that sounds like it!
Roger Ramjet - awesome!
I saw the last public airshow with the German Air Force flying F-104's. It was probably 30 years ago. Never heard anything that loud ever.. what a machine!!
Wow, thats an AIRCRAFT! John P.
She is a beauty!
Ahem! That's not the afterburner, that's the demons out of hell.