F-104B "4105" 8 TFS of 3 Wing ROCAF in early Silver-finish at CCK (Ching Chuan Kang) AB

F-104B, construction number 283-5008, model 283-93-03, serial number 57-1296, built by Lockheed
delivered to the USAF ADC 337th FIS at Hamilton, California in March 1958; was transferred to the 151st FIS Tennessee ANG in June 1960 until it retired early 1963
MAP to ROCAF on October 17, 1963 as "4105" with 8 TFS of 3 Air Group; returned back to the USA (after all F-104Bs retired in Taiwan) on October 19, 1966
It was put on storage at MASDC until 1967. The aircraft was overhauled at Palmdale and modified at McClellan AFB in 1967 for possible export.
on July 27.1969 sold to Jordan and received code "901". Later code "B" was added to the aircraft as "901/B". On July 1, 1977 the aircraft was withdrawn from use.
In March 1990 it was inspected, while being a stored decoy, by people from Northern Light Aircraft Inc.
 In the summer of 1990 it arrived in the USA and was put on storage at Dannely Field in October
The aircraft was sold with their flyable N104NL to Thunderbird Aviation in 1994 and stored at Deer Valley, AZ; It already had received US civil registration number "N65354".
When the N104NL (already become N166TB) was sold to Rick Svetkoff, this F-104B was sold with it too
and so, it arrived at Clearwater, Florida in September 1995 by road for the "Starfighters" demonstration team at Lakeland AP, Clearwater.
in storage in the hangar of the team at St. Petersburg, February 2009 noted; preserved at main hangar "Starfighters" demo team at Cape Canaveral (KSC) in grey color scheme; November 2021 noted
July 14, 2022 at Starfighters Aerospace last noted; F-104B 57-1296 donated to "Valiant Air Command" museum, Titusville, FL; transport July 19, 2022; January 2024 in primer grey colors noted.

30°50'53.9"N 85°36'12.5"W

copyright © Dick Moore

badge of 8 TFS "Flying Dragon"