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Selection
of the aircraft,
Selection of the Base where to place them, Adaptation of the F-104, The arrival and delivery lots, Its last months,
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The principal problem that Spain had for the modern upgrading was economic, always lacking funds for the renovation of military equipment during those times.
For this reason, help was asked from the United States, by way of the Military Assistance Program better known as MAP.
MAP offered to the Air Force a list of aircraft in which it could be observed that the F-104 was not included.
The study would entail the necessities of replacement parts, armaments, aircraft, flight simulator, pilots and mechanics training, re-structuring of supplies, modification of buldins, etc. During the study it was decided not to include the flight simulator and instead to buy a third TF-104G, dual control, becoming the property of the Air Force and not lent like the other ones. For this reason, the pilot training in the flight simulators, would take place in other simulators already built and functioning in other countries like Germany and Italy.
The next step was to decide where to base the new Squadron that would be created with the F-104Gs.
There were two options, the Air Base at Torrejon and the one at Moron. This last one had been the base of a Squadron of F-104Cs of the US Air National Guard and the though was to base the F-104Gs there, taking advantage of the installations ready built and abandoned by the Squadron of F-104Cs of the National Air Guard. But at the same time, a Squadron of F-102s was leaving the installations that they were using at Air Base of Torrejon and after balancing one agaist the other, the decision was made for Torrejon.
The airplane, the base and logistics had been selected, now was the time to select pilots and mechanics.
Since the Squadron was going to be created at the Air Base in Torrejon, it was decided that the majority of the pilots and mechanics should be from from Wing Nº 6 already assigned to Torrejon. The option was also given for the incorporation of 4 pilots from each of the Fighter Wings already in existance at different Air Bases of Spain.
A series of minimum requirements were established for the pilots that were going to be incorporated into the new Squadron. Among them were:
- Have over 500 flight hours in the F-86 (Sabre)
- Willing to continue for several years in the new assignment- Elimination of pilots that were to leave the Air Force for the Air Lines.
As far as the rest of the personnel that would form the Maintenance Squadron, a similar selection was made, selecting first the most experienced and willing to remain several years in the assignment.
The first step was to adapt to the F-104 and for that, 4 of the 8 pilots that had been assigned to the new Squadron were sent from September 1964 to February 1965 to the Air Base LUKE in the United States to complete the Course of Pilot of the F-104.
The course consisted of 120 hours of flight and the class had 10 students, 4 Spaniards and 6 Germans.
In the foto above, three of the four pilots that went to the US for the course can be seen, they are the ones standing at the center of the first row wearing the white shirts. One of the Spanish pilots is missing, he broke his leg getting off from the truck that took them from the Squadron to the planes and he could not finish the course in the US.
The rest of the pilots and mechanics were trained at the Air Base in Torrejon by the MTU (Maintenence Training Unit) which arrived at the Base on board of a C-124 Globemaster of the USAF and was installed in ther first floor of the Squadron´s building.
- Fuselage with complete cockpit
- Complete radar system
- Complete engine
- Inertial navegation system
- TACAN navigation system
- Cannon and armament system
- External loading system
- Fueling system
- Electrical system
- Flight control system
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Landing gear system
Each one of these systems was independent and simulated the real function of the aircraft. The learning was realized by means of presentations, projections and practicing in the MTU.
The adaptation courses started on September 1964 and were given by American personnel, using interpreters, for a total of 15 courses including pilots and mechanics. The American personnel remained at the Base for six months, combining the courses of teaching the Spanish personnel and future MTU instructors.
At the end of the courses, a diploma was issued certifying the passing of the course of adaptation.
The arrival of the F-104s in Spàin was
on board of two American aircraft carriers
of the CABOT Class at the Aero-Naval Base of Rota. They came wrapped in plastic
or in cocoon to protect them from
corrosion from the sea air, and with the shock absorvers removed.
The delivery of the aircraft was done in three groups:
- First Group:
In January 15 1965, 7 planes were delivered, 5 single seaters and two dual controls. The USAF serial numbers and the equivalent Spanish numbers are listed in the following table.
F-104G |
TF-104G |
63-12715 - C8-01 |
62-12278 - CE8-21 |
63-12716 - C8-02 |
62-12279 - CE8-22 |
63-12717 - C8-03 |
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63-12718 - C8-04 |
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63-12720 - C8-05 |
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- Second group:
The 12 of June 1965, 13 single seater fighters were delivered, unloaded from the aircraft carrier CROATAN of the USNS en Rota, then were taken to Torrejon in the same way as the first lot between the 16 and 25 of June.
The USAF serial numbers and Spanish numbers were:
F-104G |
63-13643 - C8-12 |
63-12727 - C8-06 |
63-13644 - C8-13 |
63-12730 - C8-07 |
63-12732 - C8-14 |
63-12731 - C8-08 |
63-12733 - C8-15 |
63-13640 - C8-09 |
63-12734 - C8-16 |
63-13642 - C8-10 |
63-13638 - C8-17 |
63-13641 - C8-11 |
63-13639 - C8-18 |
- Third group
TF-104G |
65-09415 - CE.8-23 |
The aircraft of the three groups was prepared for the flight to Torrejon Air Base by personnel of the Spanish Air Force, with supervision of an American team. The aircraft, once prepared on land, were flight tested by the the test pilot from Lockheed, known as “Snake”. This same pilot was in charge of flying the F-104 to Torrejon Air Base.
In the third and last group, the dual control belonging to Spain, the transfer was done by one of the pilots from the Squadron.
Once the first 7 F-104s had arrived at Torrejon, the official presentation of the Squadron took place on the 5 of March 1965, the few pilots that at that moment belonged to the Squadron were standing in a pose in front of the airplanes in the flight line.
Captain DINN to the left and captain GEE to the right of Colonel Alos.
On the 8 of March 1965, the flights of the dual control with the American instructors were started. These American instructors qualified the pilots that were already incorporated into the Squadron, at that time they were 8. The qualification of the rest of the pilots, as they were incorporated into the Squadron was left to the 3
Spanish pilots that had been in the United States to take the course, although the course that they took in the US was for fighters, in Spain they had to act as instructors.
Unfortunately, captain DINN (on the right in the photo above), the one giving congratulations to one of three Spanish captains who had qualified in April 1965, a few months after returning from Spain and at LUKE Air Base, lost his life in an accident with his F-104 on a mission of “Dart”, attempting a take off, the aircraft leanned over with an uncontrollable “Warping” (the problem resulting from loosing flaps compensation). Captain DINN lost his life when the paruchute deployed too close to the ground.
In July of 1965, all the pilots that had been selected and were assigned to other Squadrons and that had previously been trained in the course of the MTU in Torrejon, were incorporated into the Squadron.
In this manner, the first complement of pilots was completed in the Squadron.
On the 24 of September of 1965, after the Squadron participated in the exercise Red Eje nº 9, the Unit was fully incorporated on the Defense Department duties.
Fron
here on the Unit was completely staffed and started an era full of emotions and
daily rutine work that was appropiate for a combat unit.
This era lasted about 7 years, from 1965 to 1972 and from that time span numerous activities, anecdotes, missions and incidents can be selected and will be described on this web.
Concentrating on the end of this era, we could describe the last few months in the following manner:
The 21 of May 1972, the 104 Squadron with its F-104 Starfighters, flew together for the last time.
From this date on, we ca say that officially, the 104 Squadron was disbanded and with that, the brief but intense history that the F-104 left on the Spanish Air Force, came to an end.
Detailing in dates the last months and moments of this aircraft could be described in the following manner:
The 104 Squadron ceases to be independent and it is designated Squadron 122, forming part of Wing 12 jointly with Squadron 121, which was getting the F-4C Phantom.
After reaching the base and without previous plans, they
performed the well known turn with all
of them together, around the parking zone, making their J-79´s roar and thus
creating the typical owl´s howling of the F-104.
Officially Squadron 122 with the F-104´s is disbanded and then reinstituted with the new/old F-4C Phantoms.
A symbolic ceremony is celebrated as all of the F-104s are returned to the USAF.
This date then, is the last flight realized.
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