You can own a historic two-seat F-104 Starfighter for as little as $850. And the money to keep the aircraft in operation, of course.
The US company Platinum Fighter Sales, is selling a two-seat CF-104D Starfighter. The aircraft was manufactured in the 1960s by the Canadian company Canadair, under license from Lockheed. The Starfighter is a classic aircraft, recognized both for its design and its high performance, being one of the first fighters to reach twice the speed of sound (Mach 2).
On the other hand, the high-speed jet was also known by the nickname “Widowmaker” due to its high number of fatal accidents, especially in service with the Luftwaffe (German Air Force), where it was heavily employed as a fighter-bomber. and not as a high-speed interceptor as it was originally designed.
This CF-104D with serial number 104633 was handed over to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in May 1962, where it served for 10 years in training new pilots. On 20 July 1973, the fighter was sold to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, receiving registration number 4633. The aircraft served with the 334 Squadron at Bodo Air Base for nine years until it was retired when Norway replaced its Starfighters with the F-16 Fighting Falcon, fighter that operates until today.
In 1984, it was sold to the Combat Jets Aircraft Museum (CJAM) in Chino, California. It was then sold again, this time to the Combat Jets Flying Museum in Houston, Texas, which began restoration work. The fighter received civil registration N104JR. On November 11, 1986, NASA test pilot Ed Schneider made the first flight of 104633 with the new civil registration.
In May 1992, the Starfighter was transferred to the EAA, Experimental Aircraft Association, of Oshkosh. Three years later it was put up for sale again, being acquired by Fuel Fresh Inc. in April 1996, which today is selling the fighter once again. The fighter is at Williams Gateway Airport, in Mesa (Arizona), with registration N104, and sports a 'paint' bare metal with blue, white and red stripes on the fuselage and on the vertical stabilizer.
In total, the aircraft accumulated 2500 flight hours in its entire life. General Electric J79-GE-7 turbojet engine is at half life since overhaul. Over the past 22 years, the fighter has flown just 200 hours.
The fighter's current registration with the FAA (Federal Aviation istration) is in the Experimental Exhibition category, although it should be noted that the N104 has applicable "pre-moratorium" guidelines, meaning that maintenance is allowed 'on condition', or that is, parts only need to be replaced when they are no longer considered usable. The seller claims that this is impossible to obtain today. Platinum also says that at the time the FAA issued the certificate of airworthiness during the registration change to N104, the inspector stated that the documents alone were worth 'one million dollars'
Despite not flying since 2008, the old fighter was kept in flying condition, receiving new communications and navigation equipment from Collins. Another interesting detail is that the plane still has its original F15A NASARR (North American Search and Range Radar) onboard radar. The next buyer of the N104 also takes a pair of spare engines, a few dozen front tires, 150 main landing gear tires, wing tip tanks, and various other items.
