Air Force Brat living near the Hahn AFB area 1967 - 1969 West Germany. Heard that sound almost everyday. That sounds still moves me today. Such great memories. I flew the KC-135 for 29 of my 30 year career. The F-104 is still my favorite aircraft.
de heide komt me bekend voor 😊, dat was onze oefenterrein 4 maandenlang van 11e painfbat GG in 1987, incl. helicopters, mortieraanvallen en weet ik veel, mash was er niets bij 😊
Talk about a flashback! Except for the safe landing, this video is almost exactly what I saw while stationed at Spangdahlem AFB in 1961. On Armed Forces Day of that year, I was watching from the Spangdahlem flight line as various aircraft passed by on approach to nearby Bitburg AFB as part of the air show being held there. When an F-104 passed by, the sight and sounds I experienced, including the cloudy sky, exactly matched the beginning of this video. Every adjustment of the power lever the pilot made produced a new tone in the intake howl as it passed. A couple of minutes later, I looked toward Bitburg again and saw a column of black smoke in the area. The F-104 had crashed. It was an earlier model of the fighter, with the downward ejection seat. The pilot attempted to eject but did not survive. The F-104 was a widow maker from beginning to end during its service time.
I’m a fixed wing guy at heart, but man I can definitely appreciate the Chinook. Such an iconic looking aircraft. I got to fly in one back in 2022. Very cool experience.
If all that smoke from the engine looks familiar, it's because the F-104 used the GE J79 engine. The F4 Phantom II also used this engine, actually, two of them. Great, powerful engine, but a real smoker.
I own an original F-104 actuator for rear flaps, inside prepared to put a cognac bottle in it. Ideal for the desk of the boss! I want to sell it. Interested?
