ITS HISTORY 

 

 

Accords with the USA,  

Selection of the aircraft

           Selection of the Base where to place them,

Selection of the personnel

Adaptation of the F-104,

The arrival and delivery lots,

Time spent in Spain,           

Its last months,

 

                                                                                 

Around the1960s, Spain had only obsolescent and partially stripped combat aircraft, with reduced speed and lack of fire power, there were also lack of  radar systems for  the aircraft. For these reasons, the necessity for a plan to modernize part of the combat equipment was formulated and would therefore be able to join  modern combat tactics. 

 

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.

 

This was the airplane that the Spanish  Air Force had set it sights on, because it was the one that was being incorparated in most of the Air Forces of Europe and the rest of the world, like Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Japan, Canada and the United States.

 

In a beginning, the USAF offered to the spanish Air Force,  40 Convair F-102 of the Squadrons 431 and 497 which were in Zaragoza and Torrejón, after the denial on the spanish Air Force for wanting a modern planes, the USAF offered in the second attempt some F-104C including those who were in the Squadron 157 of the Air Base of Moron, but the spanish Air Force study it and continue refusing to the acquisition of planes of seconhand.

 

After negotiations with MAP, they agreeded  to include the F-104 in the aid package and that is how the supply of 18 single seater and 2 dual controls, all of type G, were acquired. Also included was a flight simulator, everything was manufactured in Canada by the Canadair company except the 2 dual controls that were built in the USA by the original company.

 

A team was created within the Air Force High Staff to prepare a study and a program for all necessities of the future Squadron that would be created once the new fighters would arrive.

 

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.

 

Only two things were missing, the adaptation to new plane and the their arrival.

 

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.

 

It contained all of the individual  important systems of the aircraft:

 

        -        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

        -        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.

 

All personnel that was destined to the Squadron, pilots or mechanics, had to pass through 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

 

63-12718  -  C8-04

 

63-12720  -  C8-05

 

 

They were taken by flight to the Torrejon Air Base between the 4 and 14 of March of 1965.

 

 

 

-         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:

On the 5 of January 1966, the dual control, the one bought by Spain, was delivered  and flown to the Torrejon Air Base on January 26

 

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.  

 

 

On this date, first part  of March, the Spanish pilots that had completed the course of flight and combat at LUKE (USA) joined the Squadron, but they had not covered the instructor´s course, so they applied for an accelerated course or instructions to act as instructors, for this reason, two American pilots were incorporated as flight instructors for the F-104, they were the captains GEE and DINN, who had been instructors of the Spanish pilots at LUKE. In this manner, the plan of  pilot qualification  was started.

 

           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:

 

May 17 1972

 

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.

 

May 21 1972

 

During the celebration of the Victory Parade, is the last time that the whole F-104 Squadron takes part and it was the last flight of all the F-104´s together.

 

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.

 

 

 May 31 1972

 

Officially Squadron 122 with the F-104´s is disbanded and then reinstituted  with the new/old F-4C Phantoms.

 

June 1 1972

 

A symbolic ceremony is celebrated as all of the F-104s are returned to the USAF.

 

January 25 1973

 

Until this date, test flights and maintenance, are performed prior to the start of flights of all the F-104s to the USAF.

 

This date then, is the last flight realized.

 

 

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