My dad worked on the Mirage III's.. so probably no doubt he also maintained the F-104's. He is still in service at Keebee today until next year october. I grew up with the F-16.. gonna miss that baby
I was an aviation machinist mate back in the early 1970s aboard the US carrier Independence. The J-79 was my favorite to work on and I will never forget the sound of that turbojet engine. I'm partially deaf because of my work on the engine test bed but I look at that as coming with the job. Excellent video. Thank you for posting it.
I always wondered if that incredible howl was normal. Now I can see that it really is. The J79 is a real hot-rod of a jet, and you can't get much better than that!
You bet it was normal, and music to our ears, us Starfighter fanatics. I've read quite a few explanations on how it made this special distinctive sound, one that claimed it was of the distinctive shape of the intakes sucking in the air... Still don't know what the exact reason is though....just love to hear it. I spent hundreds of hours in the 1970s roaming Kleine Brogel airbase to take pictures. Even made a book about Kleine Brogel on request of the base commander then to be sold at an air show that was going to take place, 10 WTac, now a collector's item and no longer available...
Hello sir i live in the capitol of the Netherlands : Amsterdam . I have seen a lot of fighter aircraft in my life but a TF-104GM with his howling sound is just fantastic . I did my best te make a nice movie from the 4 visited F104 to the airbase Kleine-Brogel at that time . its 12 years ago but i should never forget it .
This is the soundtrack of my childhood.. I grew up in Lillestrøm Norway, near Kjeller airforce base, with all the heavy maintenance of the Royal norwegian airforce material, ranging from helicopters, c 130s to F 16s .. The fighter before the Fighting Falcon was the Starfighter, and I will never forget its howling sound:-) Thanks for posting.
I cant believe I ran across this! When I was stationed at RAF Upper Heyford, we traveled to Kleine Brogel to take part in combat quick turn training. Upper Heyford had F-111D's. That was a memorable TDY.
@routan1 It is actually the simple event of two differing airflows coming together and causing a whistle! What we have is two airflows, one heated and faster from the engine, mixed with a slower and cooler airflow, from around the engine, forced out through the exhaust. The result is a whistle. Some call it a howl. What it really is, is J-79 installed in F-104. The howl is different in the 104 from the F-4 due to the differing amount of bypass airflow. (By Mike Vivian, former USAF F-104 pilot)
Wow. Those were 4 out of the only 15 TF-104 G-M flying in the world with the Italian Air Force. The very latest upgrade of this legendary machine. Forty years of service and One Million of hours in Italy. I grew up not far from the only AFB that hosted the TF-104. So many fly-by per day I can' t forget their sound.
Thanks for posting. I have not seen alot of these aircraft since I was a kid ... The starfighter, delta dart, phantom's all rotated through the AFB near where I lived. Fond memories watching them as a kid.... Thanks again
The howling noise was not made by the engine itself, but rather by the engine intakes on both sides, and only at low and mid engine rpm. Recall that the F4 had two of these engines and did not have the howling noise the F104 is famous for. Definitely one of the best interceptors ever built, in the 50s, and in many respects, today, 60+ years later.
there are videos of rebuild J79s on test stands and they also have the howling... it comes from the airflow / turbulences inside the engine at certain rpms / load conditions
It's a wonderful video! I like the beautiful shape of F-104 starfighter.Taiwan airforce ever used the F-104 for over 38 years.I'm happy to see the F-104 starfighter flying.Listen to the sound of J-79 engine is very well.
Hello sir its nice that you lived nearby this base in the past . I like the starfigther because of his nice shape and especially the sound of the J-79 engine . im very satisfied that i filmed that day the 4 starfigthers at Kleine-Brogel . the sound is awsome of this aircraft i like it very much .
Heard those F104 as a Child on vacation in Grosseto.. it was crazy to hear them howling above the Beach. Now they use Eurofighters, i heard them this Year in Grossetto.. its no comparison!
You are very lucky sir to have seen the 104 real time....I've only seen one on static display...I envy you...that was one heck of an airplane.The sound of it alone is absolutely glorious....
+robin6512 so did I, spending my youth in East-Flanders.... miss it, somehow... also heard some sound barrier breaks in those days, although they were prohibited....... man, was like thunder!!!
Fully agree!! So did I. I grew up in the landing area of the the JaboG34, east of Memmingen. The Sound of the J79s was Part of my childhood. And is was the Base of my decission to join the GAF - und got the luck to serve some time in the "Geschwader Allgäu". Great time
That's incredible....maybe someday I will see one in person....seems I'll have to go to Europe again to do it.I know the Italians and the Greeks flew it,maybe even the Germans so maybe they might have one or two they fly at air shows.That would be a great thing to finally see.That old bird is still awesome to this very day.
I finally understand why the F104 had the Boundary Layer Control system. Here's the reason. The tiny wings made takeoff and landing difficult. To get the approach speeds down from ludicrous to simply insane, the F-104 was equipped with "boundary layer control", sometimes just called "blown flaps". How did it work? Bleed air from the engines was piped across the flaps to lower the stalling speed of the aircraft. I'm not an aeronautical engineer, but basically it keeps the air flowing smoothly over the wing and flaps without going turbulent. A few other aircraft like the Royal Navy's Buccaneer and early models of the F-4 used it. It requires a power-on approach to keep the bleed air going. Chop the power to idle and you come down right now. To make landing speeds “reasonable,” The F-104 forced engine air through the wings to smooth the airflow and give more lift. With bleed air, the Zipper could land at the challenging but not extreme speed of 160 to 165 knots. If the air-bleed system was not working, landing speeds climbed to 240 knots. - See more at: www.pacificaviationmuseum.org/pearl-harbor-blog/lockheed-f-104-starfighter#sthash.WV7reVk6.dpuf
yes thats a long time ago that week there was a rotation with 5xTF-104GM from 4stormo/Grosseto/Italy . they flew missions with the F-16 from OCU . this day was the best in my life because of the sound of the J-79 engine and the howling sound when they went in the air .
oke thank you four your opinion to my movies . im a big F104 fan and that was the main reason to go to Kleine-brogel at that time to saw my Italian friends there . Personally i love the starting up sounds of this mighty J/79 engines it is a incredible sound at my opinion . it is pity that the starfighter period ended at oktober 2004 at Grosseto . The F104 was a very good intercepter fighter within the AMI .
My dad was in USAF and mostly the old TAC bases. I clearly remember F-100’s, F-104’s and F-4’s at various bases. Also remember same aircraft in Thunder Birds. Well, not F-104. I distinctly remember fuel crisis early ’70’s and T-birds went to T-5’s. Super quiet, super boring. F-4’s made the most noise for me as a kid and therefore, best show! We were stationed LAFB 1967-1970 while F-104’s were there. Used for German Air Force training. OMG, that was a fun fighter to see and here also!
I grew up in a place some 20Km from this airbase and at primary school age I heard these monsters pretty much all the time. Then they practiced shooting in Helchteren which sounded as scary as the planes with their afterburners on. At the age of 14 I then went a few times to the airbase by bike to see them take of and land using a parachute to slow down fast enough (those were F104s from the Belgian Air-force then). It made such an impression that I remained interested in jet fighters lifelong.
I know that the luftwaffe had in the past more then 800 starfighters all over Germany . also the navy was flying with the F104 at that time and had the stuntteam the vikings . at my own opinion the F-104 is a very nice looking plane one of the best and the sound of the J-79 engine is fantastic .
The F-104 is loud, very loud, because of his General Electric J-79 engine. Now these Phantoms, they have 2 of the same J-79s. No video can replicate what this sounds is like passing by in full reheat. It literally takes your breath away. But, you don’t have that characteristic howling sound, that’s true. Because you’re deaf anyways if the Phantoms come first.
Hello Sir i have maded in my life lots of pictures from the F104 . but i thought that i have to film this meeting at this airport because of the nice produced sound of the J-79 engines from this aircraft . At my own opinion this was one of the best spotterdays i have ever met in my life .
I , along with 250 other AF personnel, were originally assigned to Kleine Brogel in March of 1962. None of us ever got to the base; as we were all diverted to other bases around Germany, Europe and the Middle East. This occurred when we arrived at Rhein Main AB, Germany. Always wondered exactly what kind of base KB was.
USC1963 I grew up next to Kleine Brogel myself! Dad used to take me to the end of the runway in our spare time, loved it. Spent hours and hours in a camping chair next to the field getting haircuts from F16's, C130's etc. We once managed to get into the Tigermeet, I think this was in 2001 if I remember correctly. Loved every bit of it.
Ready fore a new mission you mean . the starfigthers of this squadron 20 gruppo are the boys to learn other pilots how to fly this nice bird . they came from Grosseto a city laying in the norht of Italy . I have visted this airbase once in 2003 and in june 2004 . now they flying with the eurofigther there by 2 squadrons : 9 and 20 gruppo . but give me this awsome TF-104GM with his howling sound . there is nothing better than this aircraft in my opinion .
yes thats right with your anouncement about the kids . this maded movie is one of my best maded videos about the TF-104GM . I like it to and the nice sound of the J-79 engines .
yes i know the vikings sadly fore me i have never seen them at that time . I was one year to late to see them flying . I was going to look at aircraft in the summer 1985 i was fore the first time going to Soesterberg airbase to look at the F-15 eagles . 4 years later i saw some starfighters on a openday from the airforce it is a very nice plane at my opinion .
A fact about fuel consumption on the J79 Turbine Engine that powers the F104 Starfighter: The J79 burns 10 gallons per second in full afterburner. In one minute in full afterburner, it burns 600 gallons x $5/gallon = $3,000 of fuel in 1 minute. You also see the F4 Phantom in this video. It had 2 J79 Turbine Engines which means it would burn 20 gallons of fuel per second in full afterburner.
So according to this then a 104 if engaging in any amount of high power manouvering would not have much range if flying at top speed for any length of time the range would be mere minutes flying time
The Concorde could cruise at Macht2 these planes would have to fly at flat out max power to even think of catching it problem they would only have a few minutes to do so before flaming out out of fuel
Concorde in 15 minutes 350 miles away ,,,,,104 say maybe macht 2.5 flat out about 1700 MPH Concorde 1350 Cruise 104 flat out will close catcht up to concorde in about 1 hour about to close the 350 miles problem the 104 or even a F4 Phantom would not be able to fly that long at that speed would both run out of fuel
The F104 was designed as an Interceptor. Get off the ground, go fast and high, shoot down an incoming bomber and land before your run out of fuel. It did that fairly well. It was the 1/4 mile Dragster of airplanes.
yes that howling sound is normal by this type of starfigther also the F-104G had this howling sound . We fly here in the Netherlands from 1962 until 1984 with this aircraft .
I hope Starfighters Inc got a few of the ex-Italian planes! Got to see a display with a single ship one year, then TWO a few years later! Would love to see and hear a four-ship!
Questions about the howling sound. What is the pilot doing to the controls to make the motor howl like it is between 2:50 and 3:00 minutes? Is the howl necessary or is it a method just to make a howl? Can it make a howl in flight? Do other motors make howls...?
They made a low smoke combuster can for the J-79 I think in the late 60's on that had a "swirler" hat attached just upstream of the fuel nozzle. I'd assume these 104's would have that but they must do much a acceleration due enrichening mixture. No matter what those turbojets were smokey.
Okay that's interesting, I was not aware of this. I'm guessing the swirler allowed for the fuel and air to mix faster for a better burn but I agree that it would still be smokey.
Its good to see a video of an aircraft this without arguments in the comments of little kids saying their countries plane is better. the most annoying part is how the little kids are arguing about two countries that are allies! nice video mate.
I have seen pictures on the internet that the ex ami starfigthers had arrived in the USA . they are now working to get the F104 ready to fly again with . you are right it will be nice to look at a four ship formation with this nice planes in the air . tne coming years .
Hello sir you can see some movies on youtube from a starfigthter that are from the Norwegian airforce its standing now on F16 base at Bodo / Norway . I hope that this bird is soon going to take in the air fore the first time . that would be very nice at my own opinion . The sound of the J79 engine is incredible .
@JonMichael001 Hello sir that is very nice to read that you worked with the J-79 engine . my hobby is to collecting everything from the F104 . and thats was the reason to film this stuff specially the sound of this incredible engine . I love it very much . so enjoy all my starfighter movies on youtoube . Willem.
@sanfranciscobay Watch my next video in about 3 hours, I explane the cause of the sound and what is happening! I've built models of the F-104 exhaust to show!
yes thats right in my opinion the 2 seater is the most beautiful version of the F104 and furhter the J-79 engine that produced that nice sound . the starfighter is the best to look at .
yes i filmed it because of the sound of the J-79 engine . this sound is the best i ever heard of a plane . normaly i maded pictures but i had bought a camera ten years ago to go to make films about the F-104 . I know that the air force of Norway used F104 by the airbase Bodo . yes the starfigther is a very nice looking plane .
yes thats rigth the starfighters were flying missions in Vietnam . but they flew there fore a short period i have read in a book . The USAF was not satisfied about the F104 operations there in Vietnam .
no these aircraft are TF-104GM from Grosseto . The squadron 20 gruppo maded a visit to the OCU squadron (2000) this SQ are training pilots fore the Belgium airforce at Kleine-Brogel airforcebase .
Questo è stato il mio sogno realizzato Avevo 18 anni è ho avuto l'onore di lavorare in quel Gruppo per due Bellissimi anni dal 12 /1968 al 08 /1970 Grazie
@jeoverv ...and Mike Vivian would know - a fellow F-104 jock with my dad and truly a great man. Can't imagine anyone knowing the Starfighter better'n him.
the 2 figthers one the end of my movie are 2 French Navy super etendards . they came from the marine base : Landivisau laying in the west of France . they are flying there with the rafale and the super etendard and they used both on the aircraft vessels from the French navy .
