Ten years after returning to the skies over Bodø, Norway, CF-104D Starfighter “637,” registered LN-STF, marked the anniversary with an afterburner-powered high-speed taxi run. On September 28, 2026, the Starfighter.no team brought the restored aircraft onto the runway with test pilot Eskil Amdal at the controls and Norwegian Air Force Test Pilot Frode Andre Evensen in the backseat, commemorating its September 28, 2016, return to flight after 33 years on the ground.
Wearing Royal Norwegian Air Force markings, the two-seat Starfighter reached 140 knots during the anniversary run. According to team member Sindre A. H. Nedrevåg, the aircraft’s afterburner system was tested and performed well. Conditions were windy, with a strong headwind, and the flaps remained retracted throughout the run. Amdal began braking at the planned point, and the drag chute was deployed to help slow the aircraft.
(Image credit: Sindre N Photography)
The team emphasized that there was no intention to take off. The ejection seats remain unarmed, and their under-seat rocket packs have expired. Work to restore the seats to operational condition is ongoing, with additional aircraft servicing also required before a return to flight. Despite remaining on the ground, the Starfighter was prepared using the team’s normal departure procedures. These included the “five fingers” check involving the pilot, crew chief, and crew chief’s assistant. Test pilot Frode Andre Evensen occupied the rear cockpit alongside Amdal.
(Image credit: Sindre N Photography)
Starting the aircraft’s J79 turbojet required a ground turbine compressor, which supplied pressurized air to drive the engine’s starter. External electrical power was also connected, with the aircraft’s main battery installed. Two additional team members operated the compressor, supporting the personnel attending the aircraft. Crew chief Bjørn Ivar Lia oversaw preparations. According to the team, Lia is the only member authorized to sign the aircraft’s preflight and airworthiness paperwork before flight.
(Image credit: Sindre N Photography)
The anniversary brought association members together at Bodø, while spectators gathered along the airport fence on both the civilian and military sides. Advance coverage in local media helped draw attention to the event. After the run, members concluded the day with food and a social gathering in their aircraft shelter.
Canadair built “637” as a CF-104D, delivering it to the Canadian military in May 1962. The aircraft spent many years flying with a test squadron at Cold Lake, Alberta, before being transferred to Norway on May 23, 1973, as Canada reduced its Starfighter fleet. It arrived in Norway on June 14, 1973, received the serial number 4637, and served with No. 334 Squadron at Bodø. Following retirement on April 1, 1983, the aircraft entered storage at Sola Air Base. A few months later, it returned to Bodø, where air force trainees used it for ground-handling instruction into the early 1990s. Foreningen Starfighterens Venner—the Friends of the Starfighter Association—began the restoration project in 2002. Years of work culminated in the aircraft’s return to flight on September 28, 2016. On that occasion, the Starfighter was accompanied by a two-seat F-16B, representing the type that replaced it in Norwegian service.
The team has continued maintaining and testing the aircraft in the years since. On May 22, 2024, “637” underwent a series of engine tests, including afterburner operation, inside Bodø Airport’s engine test cell. Those runs were among the final uses of the facility before its planned demolition to make way for a new runway. Although the tenth-anniversary celebration remained firmly on the ground, it gave spectators another opportunity to see and hear the restored Starfighter in action—and recognize the volunteers whose work brought it back to flight a decade earlier. For more information about Starfighter.no, visit www.starfighter.no or the Facebook page.
(Image credit: Sindre N Photography)
