A.M.I. F-104 "Spillone"

[Pony02]

Between 1995 and 2005 I've been to Italy many times, not only to enjoy the culture, food and mostly sunny weather, but also to visit the Gruppi (Sqn's) that flew one of the most beautifull aircraft ever build, the F-104 Starfighter. Underneath, when appreciated, I will show you some off the pictures made from the 104's during my visits, to start with one of my days at Grosseto. In September 1999 an international airshow was held at Grosseto, where the 4th Stormo (Wing) was based flying the F-104S-ASA within the 9th and the dual TF-104G (and some F-104S-ASA's) within 20 Gruppo. For this airshow the 9th and 20th Gruppo sent up a 9 ship formation, creating a very impressive, noisy and smoking formation of Starfighters. To train flying this unusual large formation the pilots practised the days before above sea and one was flown again on the monday after the show for photographic reasons. I was invited by the 9th to witness their operations on this monday, creating a unique oportunity to photograph these 9 104's:

1.
F-104S-ASA MM6875/4-14 about to start up on the 9 Gruppo flightline together with eight others.

2.
9 Gruppo F-104S-ASA MM6805/4-10 on the taxiway roling towards the holdingpoint.

3.
Nine-ship formation F-104S-ASA's making an impressive flyby drung the airshow at Grosseto

I hope you'll like 'em and please reply to this post if you would like to see more off my Italian 104 pics.

Regards, Edwin Schimmel
e.schimmel@live.nl

[Arjan]

Sure go ahead! Sweet memories!!

[wvanbel]

Yes, please go ahead and add more!!

[Pony02]

Thanks Arjan and Walter, glad you like 'em!

One off the 104 Gruppi I visited the most was the 23rd Gruppo. After the unit moved from Rimini to Cervia my first basevisit to 'the greyhounds' from 5 Stormo was in 1996. Unfortunately the weather didn't play ball so one year later I returned. Underneath some of the pics from the (still camouglaged) F-104S-ASA's I shot during summer 1997, made on Cervia's flightline:

1.
5-37 roling towards the runway for a 1 vs 2 flight above sea.

2.
MM6810/5-41. Lateron this airframe was transered to 22nd Gruppo based at Istrana.

3.
One off the first grey painted 104's from the 23rd was this 5-44.

Ciao, Edwin Schimmel
e.schimmel@live.nl

[Pony02]

Probably the most populair Italian Starfighters where the dual TF-104G's operated by the Grosseto based 20 Gruppo. I got my first chance to photograph these howling beauties during the RIAT at RAF Fairford in 1994. These where shot on departureday/monday after the show, prior to departure back home. MM54258/4-40 was later being modified to TF-104G-M and finally withdrawn from use in 2003. The MM54556/4-47, seen here with large roundels and full colour 20 Gruppo batch on the airintake, was also painted grey lateron and modified before it retired in July 2002.

1.

2.

Regards, Edwin Schimmel
e.schimmel@live.nl

[jp 74]

Ahh lovely i mis the sight and sound of those houwling beauty's.
Please show more!

[Pony02]

My first visit to the guys from 10 Gruppo / 9 Stormo was a little bit later than the other Gruppi, back in September 1999. During this visit 10 Gruppo operated with a mix from F-104S-ASA's and the updated F-104S-ASA-M's.

1.
10 Gruppo flighline with 'old' F-104S-ASA's and updated F-104S-ASA-M's on Grazzanise. This F-104S-ASA MM6822/9-30 was the last camouflaged "Spillone" operated by the 10th. Two weeks after this shot this airframe was relocated to Grosseto, flying with 20 Gruppo and re-coded 4-51.

2.
F-104S-ASA-M MM6764/9-39 armed with live Aspide and Sidewinder missles. During my visit two departed to Cioa del Colle to take over the alert duties from another unit in support of the NATO flights above former Yugoslavia.

3
104 in clean configuration returning from a 1 vs 2 mission above sea, getting its final checks at the end of the parallel taxitrack before being 'sheltered' again and prepared for another mission.

Regards, Edwin Schimmel
e.schimmel@live.nl

[Starfighter_F-104G]

''This F-104S-ASA MM6822/9-50 was the last camouflaged "Spillone" operated by the 10th''


9-30

[Pony02]

Thanks Starfighter-F-104G, corrected!

[Pony02]

During my visit to Grosseto in 1999 in September 1999 most off the 104's from 4th Stormo operated from the 9 Gruppo flightline. Also four TF-104G(-M)'s from the 20 Gruppo could be found here:

1.
Four duals lined up on the 9 Gruppo flightline. In front MM54261/4-42 waiting for things to come.

2.
In 1999 this MM54260/4-41 was still camouflaged and not updated yet to TF-104G-M standard.

3.
Starting up TF-104G-M MM54254/4-36. Pilots showing a crewmember their hands, so they don't touch anything inside the cockpit while the groundcrew remove blocks, pins etc. This aircraft was withdrawn from use in May 2002 and stored on Grosseto.

4.
TF-104G-M MM54237/4-32 roling towards the holdingpoint for the runway, wearing still the old, green painted wing tanks.

Hope you'll like 'em again!

Regards, Edwin Schimmel
e.schimmel@live.nl

[Pony02]

In spring 2001 I was able to visit the Sicily based 18 Gruppo, operating the 37 coded F-104S-ASA-M's from Trapani. Although several 104's where relocated to Decci two flew a mission during our short visit. (although it was May, temps rose already to 30 degrees, so we prefered the beaches and cool bars instead of hot tarmac aprons on base )

1.
MM6925/37-15 leaving its shelter for a 1v1 mission above sea late in the afternoon in May 2001. In my opinion 18 Gruppo had one of the nicest markings with the checkered rudder.

2.
Same, clean 104 posing in front off the cam.

3.
On friday afternoon the 104's from Decci returned to Trapani for the weekend. Here F-104S-ASA-M MM6939/37-22 short finals photographed in difficult light conditions. Note the ACMI pod underneath its right wing.

Ciao, Edwin Schimmel
e.schimmel@live.nl

[Arthur Bijster]

Here a 'Spilionne' in the approach at Grosseto.



Greetz Arthur

[Arthur Bijster]

The arrival of two TF-104's at Kleine Brogel november 1999.



Greetz Arthur

[Pony02]

Time for some 22 Gruppo Istrana 104's. Although I've seen many 51 coded 104's I never had the honour to visit the unit on base. Fortunately I was able to photograph several 22 Gruppo Starfighters elsewhere before they stopped flying them in 1998.

1.
The only pic I have from 22 Gruppo on/near their homebase Istrana. Here a two-ship F-104S-ASA's short final for the runway at Istrana in the summer of 69 ehm...96.


F-104S-ASA 51-02 on the flightline of Pratica di Mara in 1997.


Just before the unit lost their 104's four deployed to Hopsten, Germany for an exercise in 1998. Here 51-11 on Hopsten's flightline with two camouflaged and one grey in the back.

Edwin Schimmel
e.schimmel@live.nl

[Pony02]

The Cameri based 53 Stormo/21 Gruppo flew with the 104 from 1970 till 1997. The last ones I saw from this unit where four aircraft that participated for the last time in the Tiger Meet exercise, held in 1996 at Beja. On the way back from Portugal to Italy the four F-104S-ASA's made a weekend stop at Cambrai in France to participate in the Airshow held there. Two where parked in the shelterarea away from the public, but two other could be found on the static show. One was wearing a special colourscheme, being blue and silver with a beautifull tiger on the right hand side.

1.
21 Gruppo F-104S-ASA MM6716/53-21 wearing a beautifull Tiger breaking out the fuselage.

2.
In the shelterarea two more Cameri 104's could be found. One was this 53-11 in the configuration which they flew in their last days of their life within the 21st with only fueltanks under the wings.

3.
The other one was this mm6827/53-20. Note the tiger striped rudder. Just moments after this shot the French police showed up, sending us away and no more pictures could be made from these beauties anymore.

Regards, Edwin Schimmel
e.schimmel@live.nl