Starfighters F-104 airshow

Does anyone know if the Starfighters F-104 airshow team is still
flying? I heard Delashaw was killed in a Hawker Hunter, but am not
sure if anyone else is flying the '104 in his place. It was neat to
see that show, but it's obvious the plane is a poor airshow performer.
They spent most of the time out of sight turning around for another
pass that went so quickly you could blink and miss it.

The missile with a man in it was never designed for airshow work, or
for aerial dogfighting... It is strictly, well . . . . "a missile with
a man in it." . . . . designed pop up over the horizon, run down an
enemy fighter from behind, and blow him out of the sky with a heat
seeker... (The Soviets didn't have anything that could catch or,
vastly more important to them, out run a Starfighter)
One of my fond memories is watching them do their 'blink and I'm gone
show' at Sun-N-Fun and afterwards they landed and taxied past the wing
of my Super Viking, the chute dragging behind him... Every time he had
to add a trickle of power the free running turbine wheel would wind up
with a howl that made your hair stand up - wunnerful...

denny

"Denny" wrote

Every time he had
to add a trickle of power the free running turbine wheel would wind up
with a howl that made your hair stand up - wunnerful...

Yeah, I love that sound, too. I saw the routine a couple years ago at an
airshow. I think they do it more than needed, just to hear it. Kinda like
the Harley at the stop light. They don't need to be constantly revved,
but.... Why Not! g
--
Jim in NC

On Sun, 17 Apr 2005 23:01:49 -0400, Tedstriker
wrote:

Does anyone know if the Starfighters F-104 airshow team is still
flying? I heard Delashaw was killed in a Hawker Hunter, but am not
sure if anyone else is flying the '104 in his place. It was neat to
see that show, but it's obvious the plane is a poor airshow performer.
They spent most of the time out of sight turning around for another
pass that went so quickly you could blink and miss it.


Here they are when "Sharkbait" was still flying.
http://www.rogerhalstead.com/jets.htm Sorry about the grainy film.
It was absolutely silent when I shot this photo. Then the noise
caught up with them.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com