At the Germersheim Barracks (Germany) F-104G 24+66 can be found preserved on a pole since April 1987. After 23 years it was decided that this aircraft will be replaced by F-104G 21+00 which is currently stored in a hangar. They plan to dismantle the old 24+66 and temporary store it at Germersheim before it will move to an other location somewhere in Germany to be preserved again. It is not known yet where this will be.
Between the 5th and 14th of July this year, a team (8 persons) of the Luftwaffeninstandhaltungsgruppe 21 will have the task to perform the operations of installing the new monument on the pole.

Today we got very sad news from our IFS member (and ex pilot) Dick Baughn. He stated: "We lost Eddie Skelton this past Saturday.  I've included the obit from the New Braunfels, Texas paper.  I flew F-100C's and F-104's with Eddie at George AFB 57-59.  He is one of the few who survived a downward ejection from an F-104, after his engine failed at about 1500 feet shortly after takeoff".

Newspaper obit:

Colonel Eddie L. Skelton, age 87, proud member of the "Greatest Generation" passed away on Saturday, June 19, 2010, at his home in New Braunfels with family present.

Eddie was born in Pope County, Ark., on Sept. 17, 1922 to his parents Joseph E. Skelton and Artie M. Turner. After graduating college, Eddie joined the Army Air Corps as a fighter pilot. He was stationed at Iwo Jima during WWII flying the P-51 Mustang Fighter. Eddie was also the Squadron Commander of the 602nd Air Command Squadron during the Viet Nam War that was charged with the rescue of downed military personel. During his career, he received the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery above and beyond the call of duty. After proudly serving his country for 30 years, Eddie retired in New Braunfels with his loving wife, Martha I. (Markham) Skelton. He was also the past president of the New Braunfels Tennis Association as well as an active volunteer for Hope Hospice. He was a loyal, loving husband and father.

Today we received information from Tom Svendsen about the CF-104 104818 in Norway. It arrived today at the Kjeller located Flyhistoriske Forening which already has CF-104 104755 within its collection. The CF-104 104818 is only an airframe without wings, tail section and engine. Also all dataplates (contructionnumbers) were missing. Its wings, aft section and radome were already scrapped many years ago when it was detined to become an ABDR training fuselage at the Technical School at Kjevik. For this reason the fuselage looks very bad, lots of damages and damage repairs can be found on the skin.
On June 18th the airframe was lifted on a semi trailer and transported from Kjevik to Vestby (277km) by a company called Harlem Transport. Between 19-21st .of june it was temporary stored at Vestby, which is some 57 km south east from Kjeller . Today it was transported from Vestby to Kjeller.
It is planned to be stored, then scrapped on site after cutting off the cockpit section which will be mounted lateron on a car trailer. It is currently in open storage near one of the KFF buildings.

A bit of history of this aircraft.
On December 3rd, 1982 (almost 28 years ago!!!!) it was withdrawn from use with 3146.9 flying hours at Sola AB. It went to the Technical School at Kjevik where it was first noted in June 1989. Its tailsection or fin was already gone and could be found at Gardermoen. At the school the fuselage ended up to become an ABDR airframe. Now its in Kjeller..

Ivan Turniano checked the aircraft at Sabaudia and found proof on different areas (6 different c.n plates) inside the aircraft that this is F-104S/ASAM MM6771. It carries CFE plate of MM6881

Everyone knows that the Italians have made a bit of a mess concerning the CFE treatment of F-104 Starfighters. Lots of aircraft which were destined to become preserved somewhere got CFE plates belonging to other aircraft and this way it became very difficult to identify these aircraft. Early this month Ivan Turniano checked some F-104 Starfighters (via c.n plates on lots of locations inside the aircraft) and again found some new facts.

Beneath the latest updates!!!!:

Caserta: This aircraft has been identified as the real MM6717 carrying the CFE plate of MM6771..... Now we have a problem because what aircraft can be found at Tolmezzo? It should be MM6717 since September 2006.... now we do not know that aircrafts identity...

Grazza shelter: Ivan found back both ex Pratica MM6734 and MM54251. These two were kept flyworthy to be possibly sold to the US... and dissappeared...now we know that they have been conserved inside a shelter at Grazzanise.

Vairano Scalo: The preserved Starfighter here was securely identified as MM6737. Last month we were told that MM6737 had been erected at the Piacenze University as RS-01 although it carries the CFE-plate of MM6737. So which aircraft is it really? The MM6735 was seen at the CFE flightline also with CFE plate of MM6737 so that is very strange indeed. Maybe they have two aircraft with the same CFE plate????

It is sad that the Italian air force is soo inaccurate with adding CFE plates etc... it stays a big puzzle for us all.

Today we received information from Roger Seroo that he is no longer the owner of the KG+101 Starfighter, currently preserved in the QRA area at Niederrhein, Germany (Former Laarbruch AB). Roger changed his plans for the future and made this, for him, hard but respectfull decision.
The aircraft has been prepared today to leave Niederrhein tomorrow and it will be transported to Baarlo, Netherlands and will be the highlight of the currently created Air Museum.
See photo right side of the departure today at Niederrhein!!

The ex German Air Force F-104G 22+35, which was part of the aircraft museum collection in Lasham (UK) since August 19th, 1988 (arrived by C130K from the RAF) has been recently moved to the Bruntingthorpe based Cold War Jets Museum. The aircraft is now owned by Tony Lons and Alan Quartermaine. It is not sure what these new owners will do with the aircraft, but we hope to hear more soon. The other F-104G at Bruntingthorpe (22+57) is still for sale by Brian McLaine.

What we all expected happened indeed. Today a US pilot visited Cervia Air Base to inspect the MM6940 (coded 5-30) which he had bought and it is expected to be transported to the USA later this summer. Thanks to Paolo (regarding this news) also a photo of the aircraft taken recently on May 27th.

Today we heard that this F-104S has been bought by the Starfighters Inc demonstration group in the USA. It is planned to go to Alenia soon for some inspections and overhaul. When ready it will be flown over to the US. So it looks like this F-104S (which is 100% complete and servicable) will be a new flyworthy aircraft, the first Civil registered F-104S in the world!

Thanks to ex Dutch Air Force F-104 pilot Ferry vd Geest a wonderful video can be found at Youtube....It's regarding a trip by two TF-104G from the Leeuwarden Air Base TCA squadron from Beauvechain AB to Deci and back via Ramstein (in 1978). Enjoy!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8k9qt3BN_E

This week news arrived from Grazzanise that the The “Leonardo da Vinci” Science and Technology museum in Milano will soon receive two Italian Starfighters for their collection. Aside the F-104S/ASAM MM6787 also the famous red 9-99 will go to this museum. It already had been demilitarized, engine removed and CFE-plate applied on the fuselage. We always expected to see this red beauty one day on a pole at the entrance of the Grazzanise Air Base....the location where this bird became famous. But surprisingly it will move lateron this year to Milano.
It is unknown if the MM6787 still has serial "9-38" applied but we expect it has been completely refurbished and repainted.

We received some latest news regarding the restoration process of the F-104G FX84 from Stewart Bailey. He is Curator at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way McMinnville, OREGON USA 97128. The aircraft has been traded to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum where it is now being restored for static display.  Currently the plan is to paint it as NASA #812 for display in the Spaceflight building. A picture was taken by Stewart in their restoration facility.  It should be completed and on public display by the end of this summer. Note the photo of NASA Starfighters sticked on the forward fuselage.

Recently we heard that the MLM (Dutch Air Force Museum Division) had plans to exchange a TF-104G and an F-104G starfighter (MLM storage pool) with the US Air Force to obtain an F-4E Phantom and T-37 tweety-bird. This Phantom once flew with the 32th FiS at Soesterberg Air Base and the T-37 was used as one of the most important instruction aircraft at Sheppard Air Force base on which lots of Dutch Air Force pilots have been trained in the past. In between all contracts have been signed and it was told that the TF-104G D-5810 and also F-104G D-8244 have already been flown over to the United States. Both aircraft are in a wonderful condition and even could become flyworthy again after some treatment. We will see what will happen with them in the future.
Then Scramble Magazine revealed that there are plans to transport the ex Best museam preserved TF-104G D-5805 to the Ottobrun ranges at the UK. There F-104 pilot 2nd Lt Martin Sasbrink Harkema was killed inside D-8337 on April 12th, 1983 during shooting exercises. The TF-104G could likely become some kind of monument over there. We have no idea when it will be brought over.
Finally there are rumours that the local scouting group in the Utrecht Provence will get the yellow painted D-8062 aircraft lateron this year. We will keep you all updated!!!

Model company ADV (ownder Andrea De Vincentiis) has released an F-104 stick in 1/1 scale. It is a wonderful stick with high details and needs only good painting.
Beautifully moulded in resin, ADV has captured all of the fine detail of the control stick grip fitted to the F-104 Starfighter.   The detail from the bottom through to the top of the stick grip has been faithfully reproduced. The resin contains no flaws or air bubbles, which is quite a feat in a casting of this size. 

See for more information at : http://www.hyperscale.com/2010/reviews/kits/f104stickreviewme_1.htm

At Cervia this week they finalized the paintshop and preparation of a new F-104S/ASAM Starfighter which will soon be brought over to Piacenza University. On April 18th it was already seen loaded on a truck so we believe it will arrive in Piacenza late this week or early next week.

The aircraft received unreal "RS-01" serials on the fuselage and a blue RSV logo on the fin. On the fuselage the metal CFE plate of MM6737 was found. On the rights side some photos taken by Paolo Maglio this week!!!!

In April it indeed arrived at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore at Piacenza. Interesting fact is that the founder of the University, Padre Agostino Gemelli, was pilot and studied medicine of flight. His name has been painted on the canopy of this Starfighter..SEE HERE!!!

LATEST NEWS: The aircraft could not be MM6737 because that aircraft has been securely identified as the aircraft on display at Vairano Scalo