KVDV, Inc. - The Starfighters - F-104

The F-104 Starfighters is the only civilian owned supersonic jet demonstration team in the world. They exhilarate millions of fans with their performance at major air shows throughout the US and Canada.

The Starfighters non-profit foundation is dedicated to education and the preservation of this historically significant aircraft.

Press coverage - first mission for NASA

NASA and Starfighters Inc. recently signed a cooperative Space Act Agreement, helping pave the way for future commercial space tourism.

Rick Svetkoff began his search for an F-104 Starfighter in the fall of 1988. Talks of F-104s being shipped to the U.S. gave him hope, however, it was not until early 1995 that he purchased his first F-104 In 1997, in its first season,

Landing by Kennedy Space Center Shuttle loader

Starfighters took the air show industry by storm with participation in twelve of the largest airshow events in the country. Currently, Starfighters has two aircraft in operation and a third ready to fly. In just two short years and 65 successful airshows, Starfighters is quickly becoming the most sought after air performance team on the air show circuit. The first two aircraft were originally in service with the Royal Canadian Air Force. They both later served with the Royal Norwegian Air Force before being imported into the US into private hands.

		CF-104D 104632 "N104RB" Our two-seat CF-104D was built by Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank, California for the Royal Canadian Air Force. ‘632 was stationed at CFB Cold Lake in Northern Alberta, Canada at the #6 Strike and Reconnaissance Operational Training Unit. The aircraft was sold to the Royal Norwegian Air Force in May 1973. Retired from active service in Norway, ‘632 was imported into the US in the late 1980’s, becoming N104NL with Northern Lights Aircraft. She was later purchased by Thunderbird Aviation and reregistered as N166TB. In early 1996, ‘632 was purchased to form the nucleus of the Starfighters Airshow Team
and has been registered as N104RB.

CF-104 104850 "N104RD"

Our single-seat CF-104 was built by Canadair in Cartierville, Canada. ‘850 served with the Royal Canadian Air Force until mid-1973, when it was sold to the Royal Norwegian Air Force. After retirement from the RNAF, the aircraft was imported into the US in private hands with registration N104JT. 850 was purchased by the team in July 1997 and was flown for the first time since restoration in October that same year. Pilot Wolf Czaia flies this aircraft in the number two position during airshows.

Click here to see a Starfighters video.
It may take a minute to download completely...it's worth the wait!

Also, check out this video from Toronto last year! Click Here

There is an excellent book about Starfighter service with the Royal Canadian Air Force. It is written by a former RCAF Starfighter pilot, David Bashow. It is titled “Starfighter - A loving retrospective of the CF-104 era in Canadian fighter aviation”, published in 1990 by Fortress Publications. The ISBN number is 0-919195-12-1. It is an excellent first-hand account of what it was like to fly the 104 in active service. It’s well worth tracking down a copy.

Click the F-104 Starfighter below to meet our crew.