Raduno Mondiale F-104 Pratica di Mare, Italy 29 and 30 May 2004
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All good things have to come to an end sometime and this also includes the flying career of one of the most charismatic fighter planes in post-war aviation history. During 2004, the Aeronautica Militare Italiana (Italian Air Force) will cease flying the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter after a career spanning 40 years. Add to this that in 1954 the Starfighter's prototype flew for time. Facts that can not go unnoticed and the Italian Air Force is the last service anywhere in the world to fly this jet. In order to allow a 40 year period in the Italian Air Force to pass into history, an airshow was held at Pratica di Mare near Rome featuring the F-104, but also of course other types in Italian service. |
The other Starfighter unit left in 2004, 9° Stormo at Grazzanise, apparantly has informal ties with Italy's motor industry. The prancing horse has been Ferrari's logo for many years. However, this colour scheme has not been inspired by Ferrari, but by motorcycle manufacturer Ducati. MM6930/9-99 wears the red paint scheme adopted for the Ducati 999 motorcycle. |
20° Gruppo Addestramento Operativo, the Starfighter training unit, painted MM54253/4-20 in this scheme. The airshow included a flypast of nine Starfighters, among them three two seaters, with the characteristic howling of their GE J79 engines. A sound that inspired so many youngsters to become aviation enthousiasts.... |
All pictures (c) Hans Rolink