"Vikings" arrival at Sion AB, Switzerland for the “Sion Air show” June 13, 1986

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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