The photographers who flew on Aviation PhotoCrew‘s mission on April 2nd were treated to an exquisite surprise when Starfighter Aerospace‘s TF-104G unexpectedly appeared in their viewfinders, posing for a series of dramatic photographs. Starfighter Aerospace’s Chief Pilot, PierCarlo Chiacchi, took off from Cape Canaveral around 2:00 PM and rendezvoused with Aviation PhotoCrew’s Short SC.7 Skyvan. Aviation PhotoCrew had organized this photoshoot covertly to surprise its loyal photographer clients.
Aviation photographer Ricardo von Puttkammer of Aviation Photojournal was on board the Skyvan to capture this rare and exhilarating moment. Since the appearance of the TF-104G was completely unexpected, it created an atmosphere of euphoria and excitement, accompanied by an adrenaline-fueled rush to seize the best shots of this rare opportunity. The Starfighter remained in formation for approximately 25 minutes before heading back to Cape Canaveral. The aircraft is a former Aeronautica Militare Italiana (Italian Air Force) TF-104GM (MM 54261) now registered as N992SF.
Events like Sun ‘N Fun and AirVenture provide aviation photographers with unparalleled opportunities to get up close to some of the rarest warbirds and active military aircraft. Organizations like Aviation PhotoCrew and The Center for Aviation Photography (COAP) frequently arrange specialized photo missions, enabling photographers to capture images of aircraft that are often difficult to access.
As we reported, in the last couple of years, Starfighter Aerospace has ramped up its training and flight operations at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida. The company, which fields a fleet of former Italian Air Force Lockheed/Aeritailia F-104 Starfighters, landed a series of missions and cooperation agreements with other organizations that had spurred this activity. Starfighters Space Inc., headquartered at Kennedy Space Center operates the only commercial fleet of aircraft capable of flying at sustained MACH 2 and launching payloads at altitude.
With a veritable squadron of supersonic Lockheed F-104s in their hangar, Starfighters Aerospace is a serious business which offers its unique aircraft as a platform for a variety of aerospace flight testing services ranging from basic research to systems evaluation and beyond. The company serves both the public and private sectors and has generated enough success with its efforts to justify expanding its fleet of Starfighters to include nine airframes. HERE is our latest update. For more information about Starfighter AErospace, visit www.starfightersspace.com.
