26+89 "Vikings" during gear up rotation at RAF Greenham Common July 23, 1983

Based on the fatal accidents of other F-104 teams, the "Vikings" decided to display a series of tactical maneuvers, which primarily consisted of horizontal movements.
A lesson learned from previous fatal accidents of other F-104 display teams. The first shows lasted a mere 8 minutes, but the length was increased to 12 minutes over
the next few years. The great success of the early shows and the accident of the Canadian Starfighters meant the "Vikings" had to perform far more displays than the
originally planed 5 per year. The "Vikings" appearance was so in demand by airshow organizers that the team's cadre had to extended, so two separate formations emerged.

This enabled the "Vikings" to divide airshows amongst them or perform at two separate events simultaneously. Other team members were:
Kapitänleutnatnts Siegfried Schmidt, Hagen Haar and Axel Ostermann, Lieutenant Robert E. Hummel (an US Navy exchange pilot) and
Oberleutnants zur See Dietrich König and Benno Ganster.

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