Canadian Starfighter Museum

The Canadian Starfighter Museum wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ! We thank you for your continued support.

Nov. 04, 2023

The Trans Canada Brewery in Winnipeg, Manitoba put on a relaunch of its Starfighter IPA Beer last night at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. This is a seasonal beer that has been brought out every November since 2021 when it was first introduced. It has gained popularity and now has somewhat of a cult following. It is in high demand and judging by the comments at last night's relaunch of the beer it is one of the favourites. The Event was sold out in advance and all the aviation related beer products sold by TCB were there for sampling. Beers like the Arrow, Avenger and the Ghost of Charron Lake as well as the mainline event headliner the Starfighter Beer. The Starfighter Beer was available at a table set up by the TCB crew in front of the actual CF-104. It was a main gathering point and a hub of activity. A Taco Bar was also set up for snacks to go along with the beer samples. Many people were asking questions about the CF-104 and Merv Kuruluk, Eric Groth and myself were there to answer them. Many people expressed their admiration for the restoration of 12703 and also the fact the the CF-104 was one of their favourite aircraft of all time. One fellow had said that he loved the beer and it inspired him to learn more about the aircraft. He said he is now a number one fan of the CF-104. When he spoke with me he told me that he was extremely excited to be drinking a Starfighter Beer and standing beside the actual aircraft ! It was a successful event and a great evening of viewing aircraft, sampling beers and socializing with many people with varying aviation related backgrounds or just plane aviation enthusiasts.

I was in London, Ontario visiting with the crew at the Jet Aircraft Museum recently and took a flight in their beautifully restored CT-133 "Red Knight" aircraft. The pilot in command was Todd Culver who has many hours flying the CT-133 Silver Star with the RCAF while based in Cold Lake, Alberta at Base Flight. He was kind enough to let me fly the aircraft for most of the flight and it was a thrill. I have always wanted to fly the T-bird since I was a young kid based in Camp Borden with my family. My father was an AFP and I was an Air Force Brat !   I remember many times watching the Red Knight perform his solo shows and it inspired me to become a pilot. Once my father was posted to 4 (F) Wing Baden Soellingen, West Germany I became enamoured with the CF-104 Starfighter and so the story began with my love affair for that particular aircraft.

I joined the Jet Aircraft Museum a year or so ago and was happy to help them out donating surplus CF-104 parts for a project they hope to complete. Aircraft 12701 currently sits in the Mojave Desert and it is their hope to bring it back to Canada and restore it to static display condition. I am pleased to help them in any way I can. I had told them about my desire to fly in a T-bird and was invited to do so. Here are a few photos of my long awaited flight since watching the Red Knight so many years ago.

CF-104  #12703 continues to thrill and inspire while on display at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. There is a special event planned for Halloween this year at the museum so I will be there to speak with anyone who visits on that day.

August 14, 1961 the first CF-104 Starfighter to fly in Canada took to the air from the Canadair Ltd. Plant in Cartierville, Quebec piloted by Bill Kidd. Aircraft 12701 and 12702 were airlifted to Palmdale, California for conformity testing by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. 12703 flew the first flight in Canada followed by 12704 later that day piloted by renowned Lockheed Test Pilot Glen "Snake" Reaves. 12703 saw RCAF service with CEPE in Canada and 1 Air Division in France and Germany in both the Nuclear Strike and Reconnaissance Roles. The aircraft was later stored at Scottish Aviation and then sold to the Royal Danish Air Force in 1972. It retired from RDAF service in 1984 and was purchased and restored by the Canadian Starfighter Museum and is now currently on loan to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in Winnipeg.

"Starfighter Day" at the Museum was a success. The morning was planned with Merv Kuruluk and Steve Pajot giving a presentation on the CF-104 Starfighter. Merv spoke about his experiences as a pilot during the Cold War Era and the operational aspects of flying the CF-104 and Steve spoke about the history of the F-104 and CF-104 as well as how 703 came to be repatriated back to Canada and restored.

The evening consisted of more tours at the museum along with the "River City Jedis" group, complete with Star Wars themed costumes, wandering around the museum and giving many exciting photo opportunities to visitor. The last hour treated people to a demonstration of a lightsaber show by the Jedis. May the Force be with you !

April 14, 2023

The winner of the first Royal Avaition Museum of Western Canada "Annual Photogaphy Night" was this great photograph of CF-104 Starfighter #12703 taken by Nik Rave. Many photographer/contestants were on hand to take their best "shot" and we think the judges got it right ! Congratulations to Nik Rave.

"Photography Night at the Museum" was a success ! The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada opened its doors to professional and amateur photographers on the night of Feb. 23, 2023 between the hours of 6 pm to 9pm. As you can well imagine CF-104 Starfighter #12703 was  one of the "Star" attractions with ambient lighting setup to set the mood and the naviagation and landing lights turned on for greater effect. Judging by the number of attendees this will likely become an annual event at the RAMWC.

Happy New Year !

 We are in the process of acquiring something quite unique to the CF-104 Starfighter in Canadian service. Once we have the item we will have photos published here for you to see. It is our hope to have it installed in the aircraft from time to time so we can display the aircraft in its major roles while in service with the RCAF.

Below is a photo of CF-104 12703 without tip tanks. it is in the clean configuration and looks ready to go out on a Mach 2 run.

It has been a while since I last updated this website so I wanted to get something written here to keep everyone up to date. I have been very busy since the passing of my Mother on November 11, 2022 with managing the estate and making arrangements for interment. This is the main reason I have not updated the site for a few months.

 The CF-104 is doing fine at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada and has now been seen by more than 60,000 visitors. It is still one of the "star" attractions.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Please make the effort to visit the RAMWC and see CF-104 12703 on display in 2023. You won't be disappointed !

I have posted a photo of my bar in the rec room at home featuring a very large scale CF-104 model of 12703 and a collecton of many past Christmas cards from various CF-104 Squadrons and Bases.

The season finale of the CBC mini series entitled "SkyMed" aired this evening with one of the last scenes featuring CF-104 Starfighter #12703. A SkyMed pilot was selected to try out for one of two open positions with the Canada Space Agencies astronaut training program.

Looks like a new TV "Star" fighter is reborn !

(Photo was taken off the TV screen).

Today is the anniversary of the first flight of a CF-104 Starfighter in Canada. On this day in 1961 CF-104 #12703 first took to the air under the control of Canadiar Ltd.Test Pilot Bill Kidd. Aircraft #12701 and #12702 were airlifted to Plamdale,California for conformity testing by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation and so were subsequently flown in the United States of America before being returned to Canada.

We added a generic pilot to the display at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada to represent all RCAF/CAF CF-104 pilots that flew the aircraft. The addition of a mannequin will give the public a more dynamic view of the Starfighter in action.

The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada opened its doors to the public this week and it was a great success with over eight hundred visitors passing through the museums galleries in one day. The response from the many guests was a resounding "WOW" !  The star and highlight of the "Military Skies" exhibit was the CF-104 Starfighter which attracted a lot of attention. I was one of the interpreters tasked with the job of answering questions from the curious public and there were certainly many questions asked. There is still some signage that needs to be set in place which was missing but that should be cleared up by next week. I believe CF-104 12703 will be seen by more people than ever before and will help to educate and inspire Canadian adults and youth to become involved in the aviation industry and perhaps the RCAF. We can be very proud of what we have accomplished in restoring the CF-104 back to its service condition and allowing it to be displayed for future generations to view.

It has been a few months since I last updated this website but it has been a busy time getting the CF-104 Starfighter ready for display at the Royal Aviation Museum. The final push is on and there is still a lot to do before opening day on May 21st, 2022. Stay tuned though as I have a surprise set for the Starfighter display when the museum opens and I believe everyone will be quite impressed !

The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada announced today that the official opening for the new facilities has been pushed back to the May Long Weekend ( May 20th 2022 ). Due to pandemic related supply chain issues which are affecting the completion of the exhibits the decsion was made to change the Grand Opening date. If you are planning a visit to the museum this year please keep this revised date in mind. We hope to see you in the Spring !

A new and exciting year has now started with the anticipated opening of the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada's new facilities. We hope to see many of you out at the museum this year!

Yesterday we had a film crew out at the museum shooting an episode of a new TV series which will be aired on CBC and CBS this coming Fall called "Sky Med". The CF-104 was used as a backdrop for a few scenes in one of the  episodes. Keep a sharp eye open for this new TV show.  It will make our CF-104 a TV "star"fighter !

  We are officially cleared out of the former Canadian Starfighter Museum - R.W.Johnson hangar. It is with a heavy heart that we closed the door today but it was a great ride and one we will remember for the rest of our lives. Our goal was accomplished but cut short; however we are proud of our efforts and would do it all over again.

CF-104 12703 is in her new home at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada and we are excited for the future which will allow more people the opportunity to view the aircraft. The Starfighter will be surrounded by many unique and wonderful aircraft associated with Canada's rich aviation history. 

Below is a photo of the empty former Canadian Starfighter Museum hangar and another photo of the aircraft in the new RAMWC hangar facility where 703 will head up the "Military Skies" display area.

A beautiful photograph of 12703 in her new home at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada taken by Mike Kaehler. Mike stopped by today with his wife and some friends to see the aircraft and to photograph it. He is the administrator of the Canadian Military Aircraft Facebook page and was also a CF-104 engine technician before becoming a flight engineer in the Canadian Armed Forces. This picture is just too good not to share !

RCAF CF-104 Starfighter #12703 is now in its new home at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. The aircraft was towed over to the new facilities after some reassembly work in the Calm Air hangar. We are happy to report that 703 survived the entire move from her former home at St. Andrews Airport to the Winnipeg International Airport with out any damage. The RAMWC now has five months to set up all the displays for its Grand Opening in March 2022. There is still much to be done but it is coming together very nicely and will definitely be a major attraction in the City of Winnipeg.

There was a small "Roll-in" ceremony at the new facilities where 703 was welcomed into the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. Below are just a few pictures taken on that day. Also a photo of the " Official Handshake" between Terry Slobodian, President and CEO RAMWC and Steve Pajot, CSM. We will work closely with the RAMWC to help create a world-class museum and a unique experience for all who visit. Please make the effort to come and tour the new museum in 2022. We will be there to greet you !

As many of you know I have been a longtime fan of the CF-104 Starfighter and my love affair with this aircraft began as a young 10 year old while living in 4 Fighter Wing Baden-Soellingen, West Germany. My father was in the RCAF and we were stationed there at the height of the Cold War. When I first heard this aircraft takeoff from the airfield I was immediately drawn to it and after my flight in the CF-104 OFTT I was truly hooked !

Below is my tribute to the CF-104 Starfighter in the form of a poem I wrote several years ago. I hope you enjoy it.

We moved the CF-104 from St. Andrews Airport to Winnipeg International Airport in the early hours of the morning today. It will reside in the hangar at Calm Air for a few days while we reassemble  parts that were taken off for the move. Once it it is cleaned, polished and completed by CSM members it will be towed over to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada where it will be placed on display. We had a rare photo opportunity with the Russian Antonov AN-225 Cargo aircraft while towing the Starfighter across the airport so took advantage of the situation. The move went extremely well thanks to the professionalism of the trucking crew from John Eichel Trucking Ltd. and the crane operators from Calado Crane Rental Ltd. Joel Nelson, Project Manager for the RAMWC, did a great job in organizing the move. The museum will open its doors in March of 2022 so you will have the chance to view CF-104 12703 in its new home next year.

Our CF-104 was out late the other night for a photo shoot with Impact Photography so we decided to take a few pictures ourselves. The photos that Impact Photography will create will be his usual award winning quality photos that we could not hope to duplicate ourselves. It was a good opportunity though for us to take some night photos of 12703 on the taxiway of apron 3 at St. Andrews Airport. We also took a photograph of the CF-104 along side an RCAF De  Havilland Chipmunk primary training aircraft. I am sure many CF-104 pilots have fond memories of their initial training on this aircraft during the 1960's era.

We are in the process of preparing the CF-104 for its big move to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in Winnipeg.  703 will soon be in her new home and ready for display in March of 2022 at the new facilities. We will keep you informed of the progress.

Photos by CSM member Eric Groth

We have had a lot of smokey days in Manitoba due to the forest fires north of Winnipeg. We took 703 out for a calendar photo shoot which was requested by the female aviation group called the 99ers. Their calendar for 2022 will be available later this year if anyone is interested in purchasing a copy. The funds go towards the 99ers for supporting women in aviation.

Since we had our CF-104 outside we took a few photos of our own even though it was hazy due to the smoke in the sky. The smoke added an unexpected bonus in realism because it made it appear to be similar to the typical hazy summer days in southern Germany in the 1960's which was mostly due to smog and high humidity. Below are two photos of 703 on the tarmac at St. Andrews Airport however the photos closely resemble pictures you would have seen in the late 1960's at 1 Wing Lahr, West Germany. One picture is taken in colour while the other was taken in black and white like many of the photos of that era.

We are rapidly drawing closer to the closing of the Canadian Starfighter Museum at our St. Andrews Airport location in order to prepare for the move of our CF-104 to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. We have been receiving many requests for tours before the end date of Aug. 15th 2021. The aircraft will be moved later this year when the RAMWC is ready to receive the aircraft and set up the display. We need time to move out all the displays we have had set up at the CSM and to get the aircraft partially disassembled for the move. Obviously there is a lot of preparation in arranging such a big move with trucking companies, cranes for lifting, permits for moving and transporting down Provincial highways as well as Police escorts and so on. 

Today we had Rick Gelinas and his longtime friend from Winnipeg drop by the hangar to see the CF-104. Rick was a CF-104 pilot in the last years of the CF-104 operational era and served with 441 and 417 Squadrons in 1 CAG, Germany and Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada. I first met Rick when he was a dispatcher at the old Winnipeg Flying Club  in Winnipeg. I was just finishing my Private Pilots Licence and we talked about the RCAF and the CF-104 Starfighter. Rick later joined the CAF and went on to reach the pinnacle of any flying career by being selected to fly the Starfighter. Rick enjoyed his time flying the aircraft and counts his time as one of the best postings of his military career. I believe the CF-104 Starfighter made a very deep and lasting impression on Rick as it has with many of the pilots and ground crews that were associated with the aircraft. There were good times and bad times but the good times seem to have out weighed the bad times and there is a definite bond among all who knew or flew the aircraft. We talked about many of Ricks memories flying the CF-104 as he walked around it and revisited the aircraft like an old loved and trusted friend. I know that I have also always felt closely attached to the CF-104 and having the opportunity to restore this CF-104 for display and to preserve its legacy in the history of Canadian aviation is one of the highlights of my life. Having been fortunate enough to have flown in the CF-104 is also a major accomplishment but opening and running the Canadian Starfighter Museum is perhaps most cherished. I have enjoyed sharing it with all of you and I thank you for allowing me to do so.

Below are three photos of Rick Gelinas and the CF-104 Starfighter with the last photo of Rick and myself standing beside 703.

We're fired up and ready to go !  The Manitoba Government has now allowed museums to be open again at 50% capacity to those who are double vaccinated. We had our first tour in many months this morning and are booking tours once again. The CF-104 Starfighter has been cleaned, polished and all systems are ready. If you are wanting to come out to the museum and see the aircraft you can call for a booking up until August 15th when the Canadian Starfighter Museum will close its doors at our hangar facility in St. Andrews Airport and begin the process of dismantling displays and getting the aircraft ready to move to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in Winnipeg at the International Airport.

The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada offered Canadian Starfighter Museum members Steve Pajot, Eric Groth and Al Holmberg a sneak preview of their new facilities today. Terry Slobodian, CEO/President RAMWC and Joel Nelson, Project and Facilities Manager RAMWC took us on a personal tour of the building. The new museum is unique, modern and very impressive. It has everything you imagine you would need in an aviation facility and more. The two photos below show one angle looking from the southeast corner towards the centre of the building in what will be the aircraft display area. CF-104 #12703 will be displayed in the left area of the photograph with the aircraft tail near the outer edge and centre of the hangar door facing and angled towards the left showing the port side view of the aircraft initially as you walk down the planned designated pathway. This will be the "Military Skies" section and there will be a Snowbirds CT-114 Tutor aircraft suspended from the ceiling just in front of the CF-104 but not overhead of the display. There will be other military aircraft in this corner of the building on display. I believe the new museum facility is the most impressive currently in Canada and will draw many thousands of visitors every year. The location at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport is very fitting in the heart of the Winnipeg aerospace sector. 

The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada has now officially  announced that it will display our CF-104 Starfighter #12703 at its new facilities. Although the Canadian Starfighter Museum has lost its hangar facilities at St. Andrews Airport in Manitoba we will still be available to speak with visitors at the RAMWC when the aircraft is displayed there in 2022. The CF-104 is on loan to the RAMWC and will now be more accessible to the public and in a  more modern facility which will be one of the premier museums within Canada. The biggest change is that the CF-104 has a new home in the City of Winnipeg at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. The RCAF CF-104 story will continue to be told. This website will continue just as the Canadian Starfighter Museum will continue. Our operations at St. Andrews Airport will cease on August 15th to prepare for the move of the aircraft and we will conduct tours up to that time whenever we are allowed as directed by the Manitoba Government pandemic restrictions that are currently in place. 

The Canadian Starfighter Museum would like to thank the many members of the Canadian Starfighter Association who have helped and supported us over the past ten years. The CF-104 restoration project was never possible without you and we are truly grateful. It took the museum seven years to complete the restoration but even during that time we would conduct tours for those who requested a visit to the museum. We accomplished our restoration goal through a few campaign drives and by selling shirts, calendars and profile prints on our website and at our facilities. Some of our members/volunteers contributed not only their time but also funds from personal sources to complete this incredible aircraft. I am proud to say that we accomplished our goals of restoring and displaying one of the most iconic RCAF aircraft and educating thousands of Canadians about the role that was played with NATO during the Cold War Era.

Sadly, I must inform you that the museum can no longer operate at our current location due to the loss of our hangar facilities. One of our founding members was the sole owner of the hangar and had assured us that the museum would have the use of the hangar as long as we operated the museum.  Unfortunately, after his passing two years ago, we are now informed that the hangar is to be sold. The Canadian Starfighter Museum does not have the funds to purchase this hangar even with the input of myself and a few of our members/volunteers. It is with much regret that we must inform you that the Canadian Starfighter Museum will officially close its doors on Sept 01, 2021. We will continue to operate and give tours up to August 15^th of this year.

The good news is that we have reached an agreement with the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada to display our CF-104 Starfighter inside their new facilities which is due to open in early 2022 at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport.  They have a new state of the art museum building which will house many aircraft associated with Canada’s aviation heritage. The Starfighter will be one of the highlights at the museum and will be on display in the “Military Skies” exhibit area. The aircraft will be on loan to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada so we can continue to tell the story of the CF-104 in RCAF service. Canadian Starfighter Museum members/volunteers will be there at the display to speak to visitors and to answer questions as we have always done. We promised to restore this aircraft and tell the story of the RCAF CF-104 to the Canadian public and will continue to do so but now at a new location, in a new facility, with greater accessibility for the public to view the Starfighter than ever before. I think we can all be proud of what we accomplished in saving a valuable and historic aircraft and have it displayed to the public for years to come. Again, thank you for your support over the years. Please stop by the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada after the Grand Opening in 2022 to continue to see the first CF-104 Starfighter to have flown in Canada #12703.

Remember you can still visit the Canadian Starfighter Museum at our current St. Andrews Airport location from April 1^st to August 15th, 2021. Call us for a “farewell tour”. We look forward to seeing you.

104-forever!

Steve Pajot

CSM

 Group photo of the Canadian Starfighter Museum restoration members.

 Left to right: Eric Groth, Al Holmberg and Steve Pajot

 ( missing is Russ Johnson and Darryl Pajot)   

Here is a link to the RCAF Air Command Band commemorating its 75th Anniversary. The music is the theme song to the movie 633 Squadron . Much of the background for the video was shot at the museum and it was our honour to host the RCAF Band for this video shoot. Login into Facebook and enter this link. Turn up your sound and enjoy !

https://fb.watch/5R398_0GPk/

The Canadian Starfighter Museum is pleased to inform you that the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada is close to completing its new facilities at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. The museum has undergone many significant changes in its vision and branding and will open in early 2022. The facilities will be second to none in its design and will house many aircraft pertaining to Canadian aviation. It will showcase a wide variety of aircraft types from bush aircraft and commercial aircraft right through to military aircraft. A new logo has been introduced which clearly shows its pride in Canada and its commitment to represent all aircraft which have flown in Canadian skies. Here is a portion of the Press Release issued by the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada.

"The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada was established in 1974 by a small group of visionaries committed to preserving Canada's distinct aviation heritage. Today, with nearly 100 historic aircraft and more than 70,000 artefacts, texts, and photographs, the museum remains one of Canada's largest and most complete aviation heritage collections. This collection is not only the foundation for telling a remarkable story of history but also engages students and visitors in discovering the science behind flight, inspiring future generations of aviators and inventors. The museum is currently building a new state-of-the-art facility on the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport campus scheduled to open in early 2022 and will be a premier attraction for the City of Winnipeg."

The Canadian Starfighter Museum maintains a very close relationship with the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada and we are committed to working with the organization in any capacity to further enhance Canadian aviation. We look forward to continuing our association with the RAMWC and I believe in the future we will indeed create ties that will last for a very long time.   

We added a movie screen set up for the CF-104 Operational Flight and Tactics Trainer display. The OFTT took a back seat to the actual CF-104 Starfighter once the aircraft arrived at the hangar for restoration. There were plans for the OFTT however we knew that restoring 12703 was going to take all our funds and energy to complete. The plan now is to have the OFTT display looking more like an actual flight simulator and we hope to get the cockpit lighted like we have done on 12703. We will have the OFTT functional in some way though likely never to the extent it was while in service. The OFTT was a very big step in military flight simulation in the early 1960's and indeed played a key role in pilot training throughout its career with the RCAF right up to the end of the CF-104 era. It was a collaboration between  Canadian Aviation Electronics ( CAE ) and Canadair Ltd who initially built six for the RCAF. They went on to produce another twenty-six for other NATO Starfighter operators in Europe so it was quite a success.

We are pleased to announce that Robert St. George of YoDecal.com has offered to manufacture decals for the Canadian Starfighter Museum. Robert has generously offered to make and sell these decals and offer them on his website donating the proceeds to the Canadian Starfighter Museum. This will greatly help us continue to operate and maintain the museum for future generations to enjoy. The decals are top quality and can be applied to most surfaces without fading or peeling. They are 5 inches in diameter and will sell for $9.98 CDN. plus taxes and shipping. You can view these decals through the links shown below. Note that the decals are offered as either "Canadian Starfighter Museum" or "Starfighter Vet". The website is YoDecal.com and is proudly Canadian owned and operated. Please help support the Canadian Starfighter Museum by purchasing one or more decals.

It is very cold here in Manitoba today with a temperature of -28 C and feels like -44 C with the windchill. Needless to say there is not too much going on at the Museum this month. We are in hibernation mode choosing to remain at home and stay warm. There is plenty to do but we will wait for the weather to get warmer before we tackle any more projects. I am doing some organizing  of artifacts and jotting down notes for setting new displays in anticipation of this years visitations to the Museum. In doing so I ran across a very nice photo we took of our CF-104 last year that gave me that warm feeling and sense of excitement so I thought I should share it with you. I know many people are feeling stuck at home and out of touch lately with the COVID pandemic. In Manitoba we have that to contend with along with the periodic deep cold spell that rolls in. Have a look at the photo. It doesn't get much better than a frontal view of the CF-104 Starfighter parked on the tarmac in the sun looking very sleek and ready for action.

Stay safe and stay warm !

We thought we should start off the New Year with a beautiful photo of our CF-104 Starfighter #12703 under the star studded night sky. As usual the Starfighter design makes it look like it is from out of this world.

Happy New Year and lets hope for a return to our normal lives in the near future. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

As another year draws closer to an end the Canadian Starfighter Museum would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We would also like to thank everyone for their continued support and hope to see you at the museum in 2021. We know that we join you in hoping for an end to the Covid 19 pandemic and a return to the normal world we all knew and miss.

The Trans Canada Brewery is set to offer its seasonal Starfighter Triple IPA beer starting mid November. They requested the use of 12703 to tape a video for the advertising campaign.  You may remember that last year was the official launch of this beer and it was a success so they are adding it to the seasonal beer menu. The film crew came out on Wednesday and shot footage for around 4 hours but it will be edited down to fit into the 3 or so minutes of advertising. There were lots of lighting equipment set up for some special effects with the brewery colours. It is a very strong beer at 11.1% so it is intense but balanced at the same time. If you are interested in trying this beer it must be purchased at the brewery. There will be merchandise available so you can contact them directly.

Cheers !

The response to our Canadian Starfighter Museum 2021 Calendar has been very positive and as such we are able to offer the calendars at a cost of $20.00 each. All proceeds go directly to maintaining the CF-104 aircraft and the museum facilities. If you are interested in one or more calendars for yourself or as a gift please contact the museum. Here are the details you will need to know for the total costs with shipping and handling within Canada...........

1 calendar  =$29.00   lettermail

2 calendars =$51.00   lettermail

3 calendars =$83.00   xpresspost parcel

4 calendars =$104.00 xpresspost parcel

5 calendars = $125.00 xpresspost parcel

6 calendars = $146.00 xpresspost parcel

7 calendars = $167.00 xpresspost parcel

8 calendars =$186.00 xpresspost parcel

All parcels going to remote areas of BC or to Nfld. PEI or Nova Scotia add an

extra $2.00

You can pay by cheque or by e transfer. Send your cheques to:

Canadian Starfighter Museum

c/o Steve Pajot

42 Brookhaven Bay                                                                              

Winnipeg, Manitoba

CANADA R2J 2S3

Send an e transfer to:

starfighter703@gmail.com  

Contact the museum by email first to set up a security question and answer before ordering or sending money. This will help speed up the process and cause less confusion for both parties.

The cost for the calendar is set at $20.00 Cdn plus S/H to the USA. Standard letter mailing to the USA with the bubble envelope is $20.00 S/H.  Add the calendar price plus S/H = $40.00 Cdn for one calendar purchase. If you order more than one calendar it will cost more as it then must go as parcel post for shipping. Parcel post will be $27.00 S/H plus the $20 per calendar. This will work for up to 2 calendars after which it will go up again due to the weight. If you want more than 2 calendars I will have to deal with you individually for that price.

You can pay by cheque or e transfer. 

The first few samples of the Canadian Starfighter Museum 2021 Calendars have arrived.

They are excellent quality 8 1/2" x 11" calendars with colour photos and indicated significant dates relating to the CF-104 and the F-104 Starfighter. The calendars where printed with the idea of helping to maintain the museum. We hope that you will be interested in acquiring a copy or two. The cost of the calendar will be around $20 Canadian funds plus shipping and handling to your location. The final price will be determined by the interest we have in acquiring them........the more requests we have the cheaper the calendar becomes....... however we will set the base price at $20 Cdn and I am fairly certain that is where it will stay. You can contact us at starfighter703@gmail.com to place your order request. 

It turned out to be a very nice evening at St. Andrews Airport with clear skies and light winds so the photo shoot went off as planned. We took several hundred pictures and will have more than enough to make our 2021 Canadian Starfighter Museum Calendar. Stay tuned for our release of the calendar and your opportunity to purchase a copy.

The Photo shoot started at 17:00 hrs and was finished around 20:00 hrs so we took  day and night photos. Below are a few samples.

We have had several requests for photo shoots with the aircraft from various organizations and one such shoot took place last week with Vintage and Vogue Photography. We are also waiting for the best opportunity to take the aircraft outside to do our photo shoot for the 2021 Calendar. This will happen in the next few weeks.

Today we did a little work around the hangar....cutting grass, working on displays and setting up signage. It was a nice morning to open the hangar door and let in some sunshine so I took a few photographs of the CF-104 to share on the website.

This year has shown a large number of visitors despite the COVID 19 pandemic closure and late start up. We are following the Government rules with social distancing and have hand sanitizer available at the entrance door. Masks are optional but if we have large groups we suggest that they be used.

Another point of note is that we appear to be getting more and more RCAF/CAF ground crew personnel from the CF-104 era whereas we seemed to have had a majority of RCAF/CAF aircrew before. It is nice to see that happening as the CF-104  aircraft required maintenance technicians, armament and refueling personnel and many other trades to be operational. I certainly hope this trend continues.

Today we had Al Wotton and his wife Lois visit the museum. Al was an Integral Systems Technician on the CF-104 Starfighter and both he and his wife enjoyed their time at Cold Lake, Alberta. The CF-104 era was one of the highlights of his service career. I think this is typical of all those we have had visit the museum who were associated with the CF-104 aircraft. There is a special bond and a genuine love of the Starfighter among all those who served with the RCAF on CF-104 operations. Having the opportunity to see the aircraft up close again and get reacquainted with it brings back a flood of memories of not only the aircraft but of people and places and the good times that were shared. This truly makes operating the Canadian Starfighter Museum worthwhile.

Happy Anniversary to our CF-104 Starfighter  -  RCAF 12703. The aircraft was first Rolled Out on this date in 1961 at the Canadair Ltd. plant and once again on this date in 2018 at the Canadian Starfighter Museum hangar. It was a great event in combination with the Canadian Starfighter Association Reunion. Time has sure gone by quickly !

On July 11th 2020 we had a few tours set up and the largest one in the morning started with a breakfast at Grace's Restaurant at St. Andrews Airport. Members of the British Car Club of Manitoba came by to see the CF-104 and the museum. About 30 people showed up in their vintage British made automobiles from various time periods and auto makers. It was a unique experience to see these wonderful cars and speak with the owners and restorers. They all have experience in rebuilding and maintaining them for both themselves and future generations to enjoy. This was something we all have in common along with our enthusiasm for exceptional machines. The comments we received from the group were extremely positive and we know they were truly impressed with the museum and our restoration of CF-104 12703. The weather was great and allowed us to open up the big hangar doors so many photos were taken of the cars alongside the CF-104. One photo in particular was reenacted showing a fighter pilot saying goodbye to their spouse before heading out on a flight. In this case the roles were reversed and our pilot was the wife bidding farewell to her husband. At sometime many years ago one of the British car manufacturers used an F-104 as the background in one of their advertisements similar to the photo that was taken here. It was definitely a fun filled day !

The electronics bay is now completed with the addition of the Air Data Computer pitot-static link and lines. Another detail needed to have the CF-104 look line serviceable. We strive to have the aircraft accurate to the way it appeared while in RCAF service. It is for this reason that the restoration continues while we are getting displays sorted out and set up at the museum hangar.

We encourage you to visit the museum if you are in or around Winnipeg this Summer or Fall. Please be sure to call us to arrange a tour.

This Canada Day we had a tour arranged for the Winnipeg Gliding Club. It was an interesting visit since the Starfighter is not a good glider. The glide ratio of a 104 is a far cry from that of a modern day glider aircraft. The wings, or lack of wings, are a major contributing factor and it was obvious to all glider pilots that this was not the 104's forte. I believe that all present were very impressed with the CF-104 Starfighters performance and were quite proud of the contribution made by Canada during the Cold War.  It was a good way to celebrate Canada Day !

We finished off the electronics bay with the typical RCAF/CAF black boxes installed. New control arms for the hatches were also installed as per the RCAF/CAF standard since the Danish Air Force had moved the electronics bay control arm to the forward position making it necessary to reinstall it in the aft postion for accuracy. Now that this project has been completed we will likely move on to the under wing pylons which need to be stripped of the olive drab paint and brought back to the polished aluminium finish. The writing and instructional boxes will all have to be accurately reproduced but we will probably not install the pylons under the wings. We will build stands for them so that they can be placed under the wings at various times and removed to change up the display. 

We have had a few visitors now that Manitoba has allowed museums to reopen. Perhaps some of the cancellations during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic will book their visits again.  Meanwhile we have had requests for photo shoots from a few groups so that they can use the pictures in their up coming calendars for 2021. We also will be making a Canadian Starfighter Museum 2021 calendar using new photos of 703 taken out on the apron at St. Andrews Airport. We'll let you know when they are available.

It was time for some Spring cleaning and aircraft dusting at the museum hangar today. We don't get up on top the horizontal stabilizer too often so it required some dusting. The rest of the fuselage and wings were also dusted to get 703 ready for viewing. More artifacts are making their way out to the museum for display and we added a few more display cases.  Behind the Starfighter in the photos below you can see the CF-104 OFTT ( Operational Flight and Tactics Trainer ). A screen will eventually be added in front of the nose and a flight simulation video will be played with sound. The cockpit will also be lighted.

Winter appears to finally be over in Manitoba and 703 has come out of hibernation. The Manitoba Government has now allowed museums to be open to the public but must still follow proper social distancing procedures. We had some cancellations over the past months but we hope that we can now resume limited operations. In the meantime we will get started with a few of the smaller projects on the aircraft and continue setting up displays.

We had visitors from the U.K. at the museum once again this year. Steve and Di Crook have been coming to Winnipeg every year for the last number of years to take in the refreshing cold Canadian winter and to do some great ice fishing. Steve is retired from Hawker-Siddeley and worked on the Harrier Jump Jet and now works at Heathrow International on the ramp line. Both Steve and Di are avid aviation enthusiasts and make it a point to drop by the museum for a visit  while in Canada. They loved seeing the CF-104 when they performed at various airshows in the U.K. and were thrilled to get up close to the Starfighter while here in Canada. Though the museum is officially closed over the winter we do make exceptions now and then and we are pleased to open the doors to visitors such as Steve and Di who travel a long way to get here. While visiting the museum Steve and Di presented the museum with two beautiful framed colour photographs of the Harrier and the Hawk aircraft which Steve worked on years ago.  We will hang them in the museum staff lounge area. One of the advantages of running a museum is the opportunity to meet so many people from around the world and our great country who have a love of aviation.

See you next year Steve and Di !

As a side note we want to wish everyone the best during the COVID-19 Pandemic and ask that you Stay home as much as you can and keep safe. The museum of course will only open it's doors again once we are officially given the "all clear" by the Government of Canada.

It's been a few months since we updated our Museum News section so I thought I had better do something to keep up the interest. The Winter months are the slow months around the museum as most of us go into hibernation like the bears. We are planning this years work activities though and will get around to finishing the electronics bay black boxes, the main forward landing gear doors and the under-wing pylons. We need to pay attention also to getting more of the various displays set up inside the museum so we are planning some of those details as well. I guess it can be said that a museum is never truly finished as we always have new projects on the go when Spring arrives. It is a colossal task especially when you consider that we are a small museum compared to many others in the world. We are dedicated to one specific aircraft and its role in the RCAF 

Something that may be of interest which made me step back and look at the entire project was a series of events that may or may not be coincidental. I was never a true believer in fate or the idea that some things in a persons life were destined to be. Sometimes though things happen which will cause you to question this belief.

When I was 10 years old my father, who was a member of the RCAF, was stationed from Camp Borden. Ontario to 4 Fighter Wing Baden-Soellingen, West Germany in the Spring of 1964. Our entire family was uprooted and went along with him on what was to be a life changing adventure. Upon arriving at 4 Wing and after waiting a few months for a PMQ to become available for our family we settled into "Kleines Kanada".  Not very long after I began to ask what were the aircraft that we operated at this air base which made that unique howling sound. One of the other kids there showed me a 1/72 scale model he had built of the CF-104 Starfighter which was manufactured by AIRFIX in England. When I saw this amazing looking aircraft I had to go out to the runway perimeter to see them in person. It was a thrilling experience and I would routinely go out there every chance I had. A friend later told me that if I went to the PX on the base I could buy one of these models. It was first produced in 1963 as AIRFIX kit number 291  F-104G Starfighter and could be made into either an RCAF or a  German Luftwaffe version. Would you believe it if I told you that the RCAF version was serial numbered 12703 ? The artwork on the box cover was of 703 and the decals inside were also made as 703. This was my first exposure to the Starfighter aircraft and it turned out to be the same aircraft that we restored here at the museum.

 That Summer we had a Family Day at Wing Instrument Flight ( WIF ) in 4 Wing and they had a real CF-104 on display. I pedaled my bike over to WIF as fast as I could that morning and was there just before it was to open. They let me in early and after grabbing a bag of popcorn I made my way up to the Starfighter which was polished and glittering in the sun. I was "gobsmacked" and mesmerized by is beauty. It was something right out of science fiction and though I was too young to realize it i was in love. Later that same year I was taken by the science teacher at the school to the CF-104 OFTT ( Operational Flight and Tactics Trainer ) and after having the opportunity to sit in the cockpit and, with a lot of help, fly the aircraft I was truly hooked. My new goal in life was to be a pilot...to fly in the CF-104 Starfighter and to always be around them.

The AIRFIX model I had is long since gone but recently I had the opportunity to buy an original AirFix kit #291 of the F-104G Starfighter unmade in the box. It is now considered a rare model and can be expensive to buy if you can find one. I bought it to display at the museum and it will be left in the box. It survived 57 years and was never assembled. I feel that things have now come full circle. I am fairly certain that I must have seen 703 fly when I was watching from the perimeter of the runway in 4 Wing. I'd like to think so anyway but here she now sits in the museum hangar. I did end up obtaining my pilots license and also getting to fly in the CF-104 Starfighter and now there is a CF-104 in the museum hangar and I am always around it.

*First photo was taken in July 1964 at the Family Day display, Wing Instrument Flight 4 (F) Wing Baden-Soellingen, West Germany. I was 10 years old. 

**The second photo was taken outside the Canadian Starfighter Museum in July of 2018 at St. Andrews Airport, Manitoba.

 ***The third photo is of the recently acquired AIRFIX 1/72 scale Lockheed Starfighter F-104G model kit #291 from 1963.

The official launch of the Trans Canada Brewing Co. "Starfighter Triple IPA" Beer took place on Nov.27th at the Brewery facilities. The first keg was tapped and the beer began to flow. Members of the Canadian Starfighter Museum were there to represent the museum and the CF-104 Starfighter. 12703 was the aircraft selected to represent the Starfighter Triple IPA brand. The day before the official launch members of the Trans Canada Brewing Co. were at the museum to view the actual aircraft and to let museum members sample the beer and view the available merchandise for sale at the brewery store. The merchandise includes t-shirts, posters, pins and decals. The Starfighter Triple IPA is 11.1%  and is the strongest brew made by the Trans Canada Brewing Co. to date.  It is very flavorful and full bodied and it is anticipated that it will become a very popular beer. We are thrilled and honoured to have this beer represented by our CF-104 Starfighter along with the Trans Canada Brewing Co.

Trans Canada Brewing Co. is a Winnipeg based brewery and the beer is available at the Brewery Tap Room and Pub.

***Please be advised that all beer brewed by the Trans Canada Brewing Co. can only be legally sold in the province of Manitoba. You can purchase the t-shirts and other items directly from them but the t-shirts will not have the Canadian Starfighter Museum logo on them.

All the paint mask and stencil material arrived the other day and we were able to finish the tip tank restoration completely.  The restoration of the aircraft must be fully detailed in order to display the aircraft as it was during it's service life. Without the detail the aircraft is not complete and we have pursued this level of perfection throughout the restoration process. The result is an RCAF CF-104 Starfighter as it was in the mid 1960's looking ready to perform its mission. 

The Trans Canada Brewery has informed us that the launch of its new Starfighter IPA Beer will be this November 27th. The day before the formal launch we will meet with many of the people involved with the brewery at the Canadian Starfighter Museum hangar for photos of the aircraft and the beer. Stay tuned here for some photos of that meeting which I will post.  This is part of their Canadian aviation heritage series which has featured the CF-105 Avro Arrow and the Avenger in the past and has become quite popular.

We have completed the wing fuel tank assembly with the fins, wing to tank seals and the panel covers. The final task to finish the project is to add the stenciling and some paint.  Once we have done this we will post photos of the aircraft again. We are very pleased with the outcome of the restoration as the aircraft now appears the way it looked most often during its service life. It was a howling success !

Sept. 29, 2019

The day finally arrived when our tip tanks were ready to install on the aircraft. We had  Eric Groth, Al Holmberg, two members of Detail Bros. Ltd. and myself on hand to accomplish the task. Chris Aquino of Detail Bros Ltd. operates a company that specializes in polishing and detailing aircraft. His company and employees are members of the crew that actually have the honour every year of polishing Air Force One. We are excited to have them help maintain the appearance of our CF-104 for display. Today they applied a special formula that helps prevent oxidization of the aluminium.

We still have the tail fins, various inspection panels and the fuel cap assemblies to install.  The navigation lights all worked properly thanks to Al Holmbergs expertise in wiring the entire system. Once these additional parts are installed we will begin adding the instructional stenciling to the tip tanks to complete the detailing of the aircraft. It is this kind of detailing that gives the aircraft the serviceable look that we desire. Our Starfighter is then exactly how it appeared in 1966 while stationed in 1 (F) Wing, Marville, France during the Cold War era.

We wish to thank the many members of the Canadian Starfighter Association for their kind and generous donations which allowed us to purchase this set of wing tip fuel tanks.

John Bagshaw and his brothers paid us a visit at the museum hangar today to see the CF-104 while he was visiting Winnipeg. John's eldest brother flew Jaguars with the RAF. Both had some good stories of their days as fighter pilots during the Cold War era. It was an enjoyable afternoon talking about the Starfighter and reminiscing about the "good old days".

The tip tanks are now very close to being attached to the aircraft. We have only to update the wiring in the tip tanks for the nav. lights and then we should be ready. The last thing then this year will be the detailing, stenciling and taking the aircraft outdoors for photographs.

Work on the wing tip tanks is coming along slowly but progress is being made. We have completed the removal of the camouflaged paint and are now tasked with getting out any minor dents and then polishing the aluminium to a shine.  Next we will work on the attachment points and then wire the electrical for the navigation lights. When the project is complete we will have the operational look we are after for our display. In order to attain that look we have decided to leave the nose of the tanks with the actual wear that they have from flying during their service life. We will also stencil them as they were while in service.

This month is starting out quite busy for Museum tours. Besides the general public that stops by the museum quite often we also have people with very close ties to the CF-104 in RCAF service come in for tours. A few people come to mind this month. Laurence Sianchuk and his wife, Neale Partington and Gord Bosman and family. Laurence is a former CF-104 pilot with the CAF and Webmaster of the Canadian Starfighter Association Webpage. Neale Partington is the brother of Brodie Partington who was one of the first CF-104 pilots in RCAF service and Gord Bosman is the son of Tony Bosman a former Base Commander of 1 Canadian Air Group Baden-Soellingen, Germany and also former Commanding Officer of 417 TAC F OT Squadron based in Cold Lake, Alberta which was the CF-104 training Squadron. They were all very enthusiastic to see the CF-104 Starfighter up close once again. 

Gord Bosman is very proud of his father and his achievements. He is also is very fond of the CF-104. Gord was able to get quite close to the operational side of the aircraft with his father's role in the RCAF/CAF flying the Starfighter. He was very overwhelmed with the displays and the aircraft at the museum and commented that he wished he was able to hear the aircraft again as well as just see it. I told him that we could probably help him with that wish so we fired up the aircraft sound system and lighting to create the visual and the audio. The look on Gords face was what makes this museum worthwhile. He was very moved by the demonstration as it brought back so many memories of the aircraft and his father. 

Laurence Sianchuk flew the CF-104 in the later days of it's service life during the conventional ground attack role and although our CF-104 is presented as it was in the nuclear strike role and in overall bare aluminium finish rather than the late camouflage colours he was still very interested and excited to see the aircraft.

Neale Partington was happy to get up close to an aircraft that his brother flew and loved. He was better able to understand the role that the RCAF and the CF-104 played during a critical part of the Cold War Era. A part that his brother Brodie was trained to accomplish. We are very honoured to be able to present to all these people our CF-104 and the Canadian Starfighter Museum.

The Annual Canadian Starfighter Museum BBQ took place July 22 attended by Norm MacSween, Al Holmberg, Eric Groth and Steve Pajot.  Missing were Darryl Pajot as he lives near Trenton, Ontario and could not be here and of course one of our founding members and a truly great friend Russ Johnson as he had passed away early this year. After our meeting we toasted Russ and then the BBQ commenced. The annual meeting was traditionally hosted by Russ. This years theme was  a traditional German dinner consisting of bratwurst, sauerkraut and potato salad along with various German beers served in clay mugs just like back in the 1960's.

Earlier that day we had a visit by Vic Gerden at the museum hangar. Vic is a former CF-104 Starfighter pilot and fellow squadron mate of Norm MacSween having both served with 427 Squadron.  Vic was also in attendance at the Canadian Starfighter Association Reunion and Canadian Starfighter Museum Roll Out of CF-104 12703 last year on July 12,2018. He sat in the cockpit and reacquainted himself with his former office.

Norm MacSween and myself attended the Gimli Glider Museum Gala Fund Raising Dinner on July 23rd. Two good friends and former flying mates of Norm were the special guest speakers at that dinner. Bob Pearson who was the Captain of the Air Canada Boeing 767 #604 which successfully landed at the Gimli Airport after gliding from Red Lake, Ontario  when the engines quit and Rick Braun who is retired from Boeing as its Chief Technical Pilot. It was a well planned dinner that commemorated an amazing event in Canadian Aviation. If you ever are in Gimli Manitoba and have a chance to see the Gimli Glider Museum you should certainly make the effort take it in.

The tip tanks are being stripped of paint and then will be polished and reassembled. There is still the detailing to be done and then mating them to the wing tips. They should be completed this summer so keep watching for photos in the future.

We had a special visitor at the Museum today. Gord Price who currently fly's a Yak 50 as an aerobatic display pilot and is a former RCAF CF-104 pilot stopped in at St. Andrews Airport on his way home after performing at the 2019 Moosejaw Airshow.  He was thrilled to see a CF-104 Starfighter up close once again and to sit in the cockpit and reminisce about the good times he had while flying the aircraft in the 1960's with 422 Tomahawk Squadron. Gord is obviously a very accomplished pilot and has flown many different aircraft types but closest to his heart is the CF-104 and it is easily seen by his enthusiasm for the aircraft. We were very happy to see him and to listen to the stories of his time flying the Starfighter. If you have a chance to see Gord perform it is worthwhile to see his high energy aerobatics. He has had a long and distinguished career flying for the RCAF and for Air Canada and he continues to fly and is celebrating 60 years in aviation !

We completed the AC Load Centre area along with the Oxygen system on 703 today. We're busy working on completing the Electronics Bay with all the "jeep can" units as well as starting on the wing tip tanks. Al Holmberg is getting the LED lighting figured out so that the tip tanks will light up with all the other navigation lights. The stripping of the tip tanks will start within a few days and then it will be the work of polishing them to match the rest of the aircraft.

The museum display set up is also something that we are continuously working on. We purchased a number of display cases and are designing some large cases to hold several mannequins dressed in full flight gear. There are many displays that must yet be put together and at times it seems overwhelming but we have a plan and we stick to it so that it will all get done in a timely manner. Summer is our best time for tours so if you are in the Winnipeg area be sure to contact us and set up a visit.

We are pleased to announce that the Canadian Starfighter Museum has now received a set of ex-RCAF CF-104 tip tanks. They are currently painted in the camouflage colour scheme last used on the CF-104 and will be stripped of paint and polished to a natural aluminium finish as they were in the 1960's and 1970's. 

We would like to thank all those who contributed to the Tip Tank Fund for 703. The majority of the funding was raised by many members of the Canadian Starfighter Association. The idea to find tip tanks was brought forward during the Canadian Starfighter Association Reunion and Roll Out of CF-104 12703 last July 2018. We are proud to now own a complete set of tip tanks and the work to get them restored and placed on the aircraft begins this weekend !

These tip tanks were acquired from Steve Alex in Rockport, Maine USA.  It was arranged to have them delivered to Pembina, North Dakota USA since Steve was shipping an old RF-84 Thunderjet that he restored to a museum in Idaho. They were placed on a flatbed trailer along with the RF-84. Eric Groth and myself set out to the Canada/US border in the morning and off loaded the tip tanks onto a trailer before heading back to St. Andrews Airport with them. All went smoothly with the transport and the border crossing.

The Canadian Starfighter Museum officially opens its doors again on May 1, 2019 after closing for the winter months in November 2018. As a "not for profit" organisation we endeavor to keep out costs down as the winters heating bills can be very high. We offset our costs by taking in a few antique cars for winter storage and shutting down the museum for the coldest six months of the year. Those months can get pretty cold here in Manitoba. 

We are always willing to make exceptions and we made one on Monday at the request of Dorothy Sawchuk who had visitors in from Ontario who were anxious to see the museum and CF-104 #12703. Romeo and Linda Lalonde came by with Dorothy and we had an enjoyable evening out at the hangar. Romeo was thrilled to see the CF-104 up close once again as was Linda. They both reminisced about bygone days in 1 (F) Wing  Marville, France when Romeo was a CF-104 pilot flying with 439 Sqn. 12703 was based in Marville at the time and Romeo was certain he had flown the aircraft. Romeo climbed aboard the CF-104 OFTT and sat in the cockpit for some time going through old procedures  and I am sure remembering many great flights in the aircraft. The tour ended with the signing of the Guest Book and watching the aircraft as it came alive with the lights and sounds of the 104. I could tell by the wide grins on their faces that they were happy to be there again.

It has been and will always be our mission to show this remarkable aircraft to the general public to let them know how the Starfighter was used by the RCAF during the Cold War Era and beyond.  It is equally important to us to display the CF-104 to those who served on air bases that operated the Starfighter, worked on or flew the aircraft and have them remember with pride those fabulous years.

It is a sad day for the Canadian Starfighter Museum as one of our founding members passed away from pancreatic cancer. Russ Johnson was an avid pilot and aviation enthusiast. He was an exceptional business man who owned his own company for decades. He was a natural leader and an innovative individual always capable of getting the job done. Most importantly he was a great friend and mentor to all who knew him. It was Russ and myself who initially started the Canadian Starfighter Museum after, with the aid of my brother Darryl Pajot, we acquired the CF-104 Operational Flight and Tactics Trainer and restored it to its present condition. Later with the help of Norm MacSween we were able to come up with a plan to expand the museum and purchase CF-104 12703 as our centre piece for display. Russ purchased the large hangar which the museum calls home. We would like to honour Russ by calling it the "R.W. Johnson Hangar" -  Home of the Canadian Starfighter Museum. No words could express our gratitude to Russ for his tremendous help and support for the museum. Our regrets and deepest sympathy goes out to  Joan, Karin and Brent Johnson. Rest in Peace Russ............may the wind always be at your back. 

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

P/O John Gillespie Magee, Jr

RCAF

Although we do not normally open the Museum at this time of year to the public we did so today as it was prearranged several months ago when Steve and Di Crook from Surrey, England sent me an email informing me that they would be visiting relatives in Winnipeg at this time. They were both eager to see the CF-104 and had asked if it could be arranged while they were visiting here in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The CF-104 was an air show favorite in England and they were Starfighter enthusiasts. Steve worked at BAE on the Harrier "jump jet" and later at United Airlines for many years. Both Steve and Di love to photograph aircraft and are active aircraft spotters when in England and travelling around the world. I know that they were very impressed with our CF-104 and they took many photographs. The tour was an exciting part of their Winnipeg visit and we were most pleased to show them our pride and joy

The museum is closed over the Winter months but will open once again in the early Spring. It was a most successful year having completed the restoration of CF-104 Starfighter #12703. The Roll Out in combination with the Canadian Starfighter Association Reunion went off as planned and was a grand event and celebration. Thank you to everyone who attended and especially to those volunteers who helped it all work out. We also must thank the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron "Snowbirds" for the magnificent flypast as we unveiled the aircraft to the audience. It was truly a magical moment.

The New Year will be something to look forward to as we organize the museum and set things up for display. Also we will be working on a set of wing tip tanks for 703. Once complete we will attach them to the aircraft for a more operational look. Many people prefer the clean look of the Starfighter but it flew most often operationally with the tip tanks mounted so we decided we should obtain a set for the display. We once again thank all the members of the Canadian Starfighter Association who have contributed to the tip tank fund. 

On behalf of the Canadian Starfighter Museum I would like to extend to all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

On this Remembrance Day the Canadian Starfighter Museum remembers the veterans and the fallen of all wars and conflicts in which Canada was involved.

Today we welcomed the Manitoba Classic and Antique Auto Club to the Canadian Starfighter Museum for a tour. The people in attendance were  more than we had anticipated totaling just over 40 people. The club was headed by President Doug McRae and there were some very nice cars parked alongside the road leading up to the museum hangar. It is always a pleasure to give a tour of our museum to people who have a great interest in preserving history whether it be automobiles or aircraft. They all understand the dedication required to attain the highest level of detail and the hard work needed to accomplish the task in a restoration project. They are also quite mechanically inclined and their questions are based on knowledge and the want to expand their knowledge on a variety of topics other than only automobiles. Some in attendance had obtained the pilots license and so were very aware of aerodynamics and also military aircraft in general. It was a good interactive crowd and before you knew it an hour and a half had elapsed. Many expressed their admiration for the CF-104, the RCAF pilots who flew the Starfighter and for the ground crew who maintained the aircraft. I believe a better understanding of Canada's role with NATO and the Cold War era was obtained.

Museum volunteers on hand to help with the tour were Al Holmberg and Eric Groth. 

Joel Paton and his friend Ken dropped in for a tour today at the museum. Joel is an ex-CF-104 pilot and retired Air Canada Captain. He flew with 421, 441 and 417 Squadrons  over his years of service  and logged over 1300 hours flying time in the Starfighter. He was certainly impressed with 703 and was chomping at the bit to take her flying. 

The tour lasted two hours and many stories of flying the aircraft were told along with technical explanations of various systems used on the CF-104 to better help his friend understand what it was like to fly the Starfighter. Joel sat in the CF-104 OFTT while going through the stories and he looked and felt at home sitting in the cockpit. You can tell that he has a special attachment to the CF-104 and many fond memories of flying it.

It was a pleasure to have them both come out today to view the aircraft and the museum. Joel contributed to our tip tank fund which is coming along very well and we hope to have a set sometime this spring 2019. If you are interested in helping the museum obtain a set of tip tanks for 703 please contact us by email at starfighter703@gmail.com.

We have a number of tours set up for the coming weeks so keep checking in here to view the updates and photos.

Today we set out to recognize a few of the people and organizations that contributed some of their expertise to our restoration of 12703. All these people and their associated businesses came to our aid to lend their time and support. Without their help we would have spent much longer restoring our CF-104 aircraft. Their knowledge and experience was invaluable to our project.

We would like to acknowledge Ron Rueckert of Veracity Machining, Jeff Blonjeaux of MB Aero Aircraft Maintenance  Structures Division, Rick McGuirk of Universal Aero Engines Ltd. and Robin Sipe of S & S Turbine Services, Jerry Pilizow of AeroCoats Ltd. and John Mallory of 3D Custom Foam Inc.

Thank you for your contributions and support over the years !

The following photographs were taken today while  personally presenting some of these individuals here in St. Andrews, Manitoba with a Photo Certificate of Appreciation.

The Canadian Starfighter Museum was asked by local artist Roger Lusty who is a well known and very accomplished painter if we would like a watercolor painting of CF-104 12703. His main focus is on custom still paintings of automobiles for clients but he wanted to try his hand at aviation art. We of course were quite excited with the offer and agreed instantly. Roger came down to the museum hangar and took several photographs of 703 and then asked if we had a preference of how the aircraft would be depicted. Since we had a wonderful acrylic painting of our CF-104 by Marc Magee with the aircraft on the ground getting ready for a Recce mission while based a 1 (F) Wing, Marville, France we asked if he would paint 703 in flight and he agreed. The results were impressive with 703 climbing above the clouds in the clean configuration for it's test and acceptance flight after major maintenance work while based in Europe. Roger has proved that he can not only do paintings of automobiles but he can also do paintings of aircraft. It may be another area he will branch out to with his artistic talents.

Now that the restoration is completed and the Roll Out is done we would like to formally present our CF-104 Starfighter to those of you who were not in attendance.....................

Some members of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets came out to have a look at Canada's fastest jet fighter that served with the RCAF. They are currently training for their private pilots licence out at St. Andrews Airport. Perhaps future fighter pilots for the RCAF. 

We took more pictures of 703 today since the weather was perfect at St. Andrews Airport and ideal for photography. We are planning on putting together a 2019 Canadian Starfighter Museum Calendar so the more pictures we take the better the selection. Watch our "Store" if you would like to purchase one for next year.

It was a beautiful sunny day at St. Andrews Airport with a temperature of 25 C and light winds out of the Northwest so we decided to take 703 out of the hangar and over to a suitable area off Ramp 3 for a photoshoot. We had a great deal of interest among other tenants of the airport when they noticed a CF-104 Starfighter, the fastest aircraft in RCAF service, parked on the tarmac. 703 was in her glory once again !

The Roll Out of CF-104 Starfighter #12703 took place on July 12, 2018 at St. Andrews Airport, Manitoba exactly 57 years after the original Roll Out on July 12, 1961 at the Canadair Ltd. Plant in Cartierville, Quebec. The Canadian Starfighter Museum Roll Out of 12703 was combined with the Canadian Starfighter Association Reunion. It was a grand event followed by three days of festivities  ending with a Mess Dinner at the Officers Mess at CFB Winnipeg.

There were many tearful eyes when the aircraft hangar door went up to the sound of the RCAF March Past music unveiling the aircraft while the Canadian Forces Snowbirds made a precision formation flypast to honour the Starfighter aircraft along with all those who flew the aircraft with the RCAF. Then there was the "Snowball" Alert skit complete with the siren and the aircraft engine start up as the pilot and ground crew rushed out to ready the aircraft. It was an emotional moment felt by all along with a real sense of pride for the RCAF and Canada's involvement in NATO during the Cold War Era. I knew what was coming having helped plan the Roll Out but I must confess that I choked up watching it happen in front of me and the crowd of over 300 people. There were members of the news media on hand to record the event. CBC and CTV along with members of the press showed up filming, photographing and interviewing. 

It was our mission to put on a unique and memorable Roll Out / Reunion and judging by all the feedback we have been getting since it took place we accomplished our goal.

The restoration of CF-104 Starfighter #12703 is now officially completed !  We will move the aircraft into it's position in the hangar and install the nose cone so that the aircraft is ready for its unveiling at the Roll Out Ceremony next month.

We recruited the help of retired Air Canada Sheet Metal and Structures Mechanic Ziggy Smolinski who was one of the "Go To" mechanics when working at the Air Canada Heavy Maintenance Hangar years ago. Ziggy can form aluminum into almost any shape desired so it was much easier for him to manufacture the missing wing to fuselage fillet panel which did not come with the aircraft.  I stenciled the last of the instructional writing on the panels and detailed them with the NAS screw numbers as it was done on the aircraft during its RCAF service life. Al Holmberg finished up with some polishing and now we can tell you that 703 is done. It was a long process but one that was worth all the effort. It was a labour of love and a dream come true. We thank everyone involved whether contributing by donating funds or physical help. We could not have done it without you. Your belief that we could accomplish the mission is truly appreciated. We were very determined to not let you or ourselves down. Thank you all for your support !

Stay tuned for photos of the Roll Out Out Ceremony and the Canadian Starfighter Association Reunion 2018.

June 08, 2018

Today Bert Doyle came out to the CSM Hangar for a visit and to drop off some artifacts for display. I had not seen him since the CF-104 Close Out at 1 CAG Baden-Soellingen, Germany in 1986. He was one of the " Last Starfighters" and flew in aircraft 104899 for the final flypast with 441 Silver Fox Squadron.  It is always nice to have pilots and ground crews or any ex-RCAF personnel who where associated with the CF-104 drop by to see the museum. We always enjoy hearing their stories about the Starfighter era and I know they are pleased to see the aircraft again and remember the good times.

We are continuing to work on the wing to fuselage fillet panels and are now almost done the starboard side. It is  tedious work filing, fitting, drilling and dimpling the panels but it is time well spent to get them within proper tolerances. All the floating anchor nuts must be tapped to produce clean and sharp threads so the screws will go in easy and secure well. We have also begun the final polish of the fuselage since we have many finger marks and smudges from working on the aircraft after the first polishing and of course a few years of natural oxidation. 703 is getting ready for the "Big Show" and must look like a well kept CF-104 in RCAF service.  

The final phase of the restoration is now underway with the wing to fuselage fillet panels being fitted and attached. As mentioned before most of the wing to fuselage fillet panels were not original to 703 except for about three of them. We have some panels that are from other CF-104 aircraft which are a "nominal" fit so they need to be adjusted on either that particular panel or on the aircraft main frame in order to accept them. We also have some "New Old Stock " fillet panels which need to be trimmed to fit then drilled to match the airframe anchor nuts and dimpled to accept the #10 countersink screw heads. We also will have to fabricate two new panels which we do not have to complete the wing to fuselage fillet panel installation.

Jeff Blonjeaux, who has  done work for us before on 703, is a licensed Aircraft Structures Mechanic and is head of the Structures Department for MB Aero located at St. Andrews Airport.  We are working with Jeff to get the last part of the restoration completed as soon as possible in order to have 703 ready for its Roll Out in July 2018. This week end had us completing five of the total sixteen fillet panels fitted and installed on the aircraft. The work of course is continuing and we hope to be finished very soon.

The planning for the upcoming Roll Out of 703 and Canadian Starfighter Association Reunion is in the final stages now. Norm MacSween, member of the CSA and retired CF-104 pilot from 427 " Lion " Squadron 1966-69, arrived in Winnipeg at the beginning of the week to help with the planning. Everything is now in order and we are ready for the events this July. While at the museum hangar Norm took the opportunity to familiarize himself once again with the cockpit of the CF-104 Starfighter. He was very impressed with the aircraft and he still looks good in the cockpit !

March 30, 2018

Things have been pretty quiet around the museum now that the restoration of CF-104 #12703 is winding down but that is not to say we aren't moving forward. We are still waiting for our sheet metal mechanics to finish off the wing root fillet panels and it is our hope that this will soon be accomplished. Some of the restoration points that were considered minor but still needed to be done are now being completed and we continue to locate artifacts that will make the museum even more complete. One such artifact is the RCAF CF-104 early DH 41 Nuclear Strike pilot's helmet with the gold visor. We have been searching for many years to find one to display but they are not as common as the general use DH 41 helmet with the tinted green visor that the pilots wore on day to day operations. This DH 41 with the gold visor was used exclusively for the Nuclear Strike mission to guard the pilots eyes from the harmful effects of the nuclear flash. We were lucky enough to acquire one recently and it will eventually be displayed at the museum with the Starfighter aircraft, CF-104 OFTT flight simulator and all the other CF-104 related artifacts.

Stay tuned and watch our website because this is the BIG year as we roll out CF-104 Starfighter #12703.

The Canadian Starfighter Museum was approached sometime ago by a renowned aviation artist, Mr. Brian Venables, about making a Profile Print of our aircraft.  He is a very skilled artist who strives for perfection in both accuracy and detail. He has done many profile prints in the past for the military and civilian aircraft operators. We were thrilled with the idea and worked closely with him to create this exceptional profile print. Brian was out at the museum often to photograph and take measurement to ensure the accuracy of the profile drawing. The results are astounding as this is without doubt the most detailed and accurate CF-104 profile print available. We are also very appreciative of Brian's offer to provide these prints to the museum at only the cost of his materials which means that every print sold will help to fund the expenses of running the Canadian Starfighter Museum.

 The print features CF-104 #12703 in both the Nuclear Strike and Recce Role as the aircraft performed both duties during its service life with the RCAF. Some details of note on the strike aircraft is the nuclear blast shield behind the pilot which is covering the ejection seat headrest, the pilot wearing the gold visor helmet, the B28 RE nuclear bomb under the fuselage along with the period aircraft markings which include all the instructional writing on the aircraft. The Recce drawing is of a "clean" aircraft with the exception of the Vinten Camera Pod under the fuselage and attached to the centreline rack.

If you are interested in purchasing the Official Canadian Starfighter Museum CF-104 #12703 Profile Print as depicted in the attached photo below you can contact the Canadian Starfighter Museum using the address provided under the tab  "Contact Us" in this website. Prices are listed under the tab "Store" for the print as well as for our other products such as CSA/CSM golf shirts, decals and "Cold Warrior" books.

Our first tour of 2018 took place today with some of the members of the Winnipeg Gliding Club arranged by Mike Maskell who is President of the club. The tour was slated to run for around an hour but due to the enthusiasm of the membership and the fascination for the CF-104 it went for a further hour and a half. There were many questions asked and we were lucky to have Jim Oake once again on hand to help answer some of them. Jim brought his log book but since 703 was put into storage in Prestwick in 1972 Jim never had the opportunity to fly our aircraft. The obvious question glider pilots would ask was "what is the glide ratio of a CF-104 Starfighter ? " The simple answer is it glides similar to a brick once the engine has cut out. The short wings were of course mystifying !

There are a few pictures of the event below but unfortunately not all members were present at the time of the group photo. Jim Oake discussed his log book entries and had a good look in the cockpit. We also had a discussion along with a show and tell about the Ram Air Turbine used on the Starfighter. The tour was fun and interesting as one would expect from people involved in aviation.

The Canadian Starfighter Museum would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with all the best for 2018. The new year will be an exciting time for us with the Roll Out of CF-104 Starfighter 12703. We hope to see many of you out at the hangar for the main event and once again we wish to thank the many donors and volunteers who have helped us with this project. Our work at the Canadian Starfighter Museum or " Club 703 " as we like to informally call it has been one of the most rewarding experiences. The 2018 Roll Out / Reunion is planned to thank the members of the Canadian Starfighter Association for their support along with the various donors and volunteers. Please keep an eye on the Canadian Starfighter Association website for the itinerary and all the details as we will be updating the events from time to time in the new year. We will also keep our followers informed of the progress with the aircraft through this website as 12703 is now very close to completion.

photo: G. Watson

We are still waiting for the sheet metal work to be finished off on the the wing to fuselage fillet panels. There is a bit of detailing needed to be done on these panels once they are completed. We're certainly hoping to have them done before the end of this year. At this time of year the Canadian Starfighter Museum would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to all veterans who served in defence of Canada and sacrificed much to maintain our freedoms which we  cherish today. We must not forget those who laid down their lives to provide these freedoms both past and present. There were 37 who lost their lives during the Starfighter era and though they were not in combat they gave their lives in fighting to maintain peace during the Cold War Era.

Pete DeSmedt and Wally Peirson dropped by the museum hangar today and were treated to the sight of CF-104 Starfighter #12703 looking as if it had been transported through time from a hangar in Marville, France in 1966 to  the Canadian Starfighter Museum hangar in 2018. It was as if old friends had just reacquainted and time had stood still. I believe both gentlemen were pleasantly surprised and pleased to see the 104 looking like she was ready to fly again. It was our pleasure to do the restoration and be able to present the aircraft to these former Cold War pilots. This is why we put over 15,000 man hours of hard and meticulous work to bring her back to line serviceable condition for display at the museum. Once again a lot of discussion about the aircraft and some stories of the good old days were told. We would like to thank them both for coming out to see the aircraft. I have said it many times before that to see the positive reaction by those who flew the CF-104 is all the reward we need for doing the work !

Today we had the crew from Mobile Air Services over to apply the wing roundels on the aircraft. These guys were very professional and went at the job efficiently and it was obvious they knew exactly how to do the job right. The crew consisted of Rod Kotschorek, Josh Wilson, Dave Klassen and Jay Guilford. We would like to thank them for their superb work. Mobile Air Services is located in St. Andrews Airport, Manitoba just two aprons North of the Canadian Starfighter Museum hangar. The proper CF-104 main landing gear doors are getting closer to completion so the last thing on the agenda now is the wing root fillet panels.

Aug.23, 2017

We have completed the CF-104 tow bar to the way it was in the 1960's  and stenciled it with "1 Wing Line Servicing" along with it's serial number. The data plate was restored and reattached and the tow bar was painted with an epoxy paint in the proper yellow colour to match the ladder.We also stripped and painted the wing leading edge protectors red along with adding new Remove Before Flight flags. The forward main landing gear doors that are currently on 703 will be replaced with the proper RCAF gear doors. The Royal Danish Air Force had converted the RCAF CF-104 to conform to the European F-104G standards and so the forward main landing gear doors that came with the aircraft had the large bulge in the centre of the door to accommodate the wider tires used by the RDAF. We have made all the changes to bring 703 back to RCAF CF-104 standards and the forward main landing gear doors were the last items on the list to accomplish this task. Mark Theaker stripped the grey paint off the port gear door and Al Holmberg then polished it. The starboard door has also now been started. We will have to do some painting and a little sheet metal work when they are both polished and then we can install them onto the aircraft. Jeff Blonjeaux and Gary Bakker form MB Aero at St. Andrews Airport have been called away to do some repairs for their company aircraft so the fuselage to wing fillet panels are on hold at the moment but hopefully they will get back to us shortly to complete the job. The fillet panels and the roundels on the wings are the last items after the forward main landing gear doors to accomplish the restoration of CF-104 #12703.

The finish line is coming up swiftly and we are into the home stretch. The cockpit instrumentation and panels are all installed and the lighting is up and running. The next project is to have the ejection seat installed and the cockpit access hatch put in place. I am currently waiting on the Safety Pin stowage bag and map case to be sewn up so that I can install them prior to the ejection seat installation. My brother put it very well when he said that now the aircraft body was done it made 703 look like an airplane again but it needed the cockpit to be installed to give the aircraft soul. There is no doubt now that 703 has both body and soul and is once again a CF-104 Starfighter aircraft.

Two special guests showed up at the Museum hangar today. Merv Kuruluk and Nels Jensen who both flew the CF-104 with the RCAF in the 1960's era. Merv was with 422 Squadron and later went on to 441 Squadron and Nels was with 441 Squadron. They were both based in 4 (F) Wing, Baden-Soellingen, West Germany. it is great to see the reactions of those that flew this spectacular aircraft when they first see it again after so many years. 

The cockpit lighting is up and running but we are not yet completed the entire installation of the cockpit panels. It should be done in a few weeks time. We have the forward upper instrument panel to put in and then the C2 seat to install. All the left and right side consoles are finished as is the lower forward instrument panel. The Radar unit will be installed shortly to complete the entire lower panel. The gun reticle sight was installed a few days ago. It is becoming more exciting each day to see it all come together. The infrared lighting really adds to the total realism of the restoration. I remember well as a youngster the first flight I had in the CF-104 OFTT back in Baden. I was mesmerized by the red lights in the cockpit and of course all the instrumentation. Keep watching our website for further updates as we get closer to completing 12703.

Work continues on our restoration of CF-104 Starfighter #12703 at the museum hangar. Today we worked on the cockpit lighting and the wing to fuselage fillet panels. Al Holmberg routed wires and attached them to the terminal strip located inside the cockpit. The cockpit will light up in infra-red as it did in the RCAF CF-104 and when the aircraft battery is energized the landing gear lights will light up green when in the down and locked position. The C2 seat will be adjustable electrically to suit the pilot's height preference for forward vision. The cockpit trim panels have been repaired and painted and as soon as the wiring is complete and the continuity tests are accomplished the trim panels will be installed. The cockpit instrument panels will then start to be installed into the aircraft  Jeff Blonjeaux has started working on the wing to fuselage fillet panels. Some of the panels we have were original to the aircraft but many were not. We have acquired some New/Old Stock panels and Jeff is trimming and fitting them to the aircraft. If all goes as planned we should have 12703 restored by the end of August 2017.

As a side note Ron Chercoe checked his logbook and he has flown 12703 while based in 1 Wing Lahr, W. Germany. He flew six missions for a total of approximately 10 hours from July 1967 to January 1969. Thanks for bringing her back safe and sound !

Happy Canada Day to all ! Canada is now 150 years old and I remember well when we had the Centennial celebrations fifty years ago. The CF-104 was one of the aircraft that flew around the country putting on air demonstrations with the Golden Centennaires. She was the pride of the RCAF and thrilled thousands of spectators at the various Air Shows around Canada.

Today we had another surprise with Ron Chercoe showing up at the Museum hangar with his friend Mark Barda. Mark had brought Ron out to St. Andrew Airport on the premise that he was looking at buying a hangar so Ron had no idea that he was actually coming out to see a CF-104 Starfighter. Ron Chercoe was a CF-104 pilot with 441 Silver Fox Squadron based out of 1 Wing Lahr West Germany in the mid to late 1960's. He may have flown 12703  and will look it up in his logbook to confirm if he actually had that opportunity. He was one of the early contributors to the Save Our Starfighter Campaign which was run with the aid of the Canadian Starfighter Association to help us acquire 12703 and even though Ron thought that the aircraft was a hulk in poor condition he decided to make a donation which we truly thank him for doing. Without people such as Ron this whole restoration project could have never happened. So thank you Ron and all of those who contributed five years ago. It was a leap of faith  because I am sure you did not know if we could actually accomplish our mission. Your support and generosity is very much appreciated and this aircraft is dedicated to you all for believing in us.

Ron Chercoe was smiling ear to ear while we walked around the CF-104 aircraft and also viewed the CF-104 OFTT. It was a pleasure to show him our aircraft. This is what makes all our hard  work seem totally worthwhile. I hope many more  ex-RCAF CF-104 pilots and ground crews can make it out to see 703 someday. Anyone associated with the CF-104 and those who are just fascinated by it are always welcome. Also please plan on attending the Canadian Starfighter Association Reunion and CF-104 12703 Roll Out Ceremonies next year.

The centreline bomb rack was attached to the aircraft today by Eric Groth and Steve Pajot. We were in search of a C/L bomb rack for a number of years but were unable to find one. As it turns out the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada had one for several years in their storage facility less than 2 km from St. Andrews Airport. We were very fortunate to have them donate it to us and we are most appreciative. The rack required some work and once mechanically sound we restored it back to the way it appeared during the RCAF CF-104 1960's era. The acquisition of the C/L bomb rack allows us the possibility to mount the Vinten Camera Pod or the replica B28RE nuclear bomb. The wing to fuselage fillet panels are still ongoing as many of the panels we have are new/old stock and require some work to fit. The cockpit is going well and all the interior trim panels are now refurbished and ready to install. Al Holmberg has been busy with wiring the cockpit lights and once they are tested and ready we will begin installing the instrument panel. The nose cone pitot boom has been completed and installed with the 5 red stripe version. We were originally thinking of using the 13 stripe version which was the original style and used up to around 1966. Depending on when the aircraft went in for a repaint it appears that most of the aircraft by this time had converted to the 5 stripe pitot boom but it was still possible to see some aircraft sporting the 13 stripe version much later. We own two pitot booms so we will likely paint the other one up with the 13 stripes and perhaps switch them from time to time. We have a few photos of 12703 with both versions while wearing the RCAF roundel with the small maple leaf. 

The Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society arranged for a tour of the museum on the evening of May 25, 2017 headed by Jim Bell. It turned out to be an interesting evening as everyone attending were aviation enthusiasts. Noteable among the attendees was Jim Oake who was a former CF-104 pilot flying some 800 hours on type with 439 "Tiger" Squadron out of 1 Canadian Air Group, Baden-Soellingen, Germany. It was fortunate to have Jim Oake there as he was able to tell first hand stories of his time flying the aircraft operationally. Coffee and donuts were brought in by the CAHS to begin the meeting and then later the tour commenced. I believe that everyone learned a lot about the CF-104 Starfighter and its role with the RCAF during the Cold War Era and gained a better understanding of its part in Canadian Aviation history. We'd like to thank everyone for attending and invite them all back to see the aircraft anytime for perhaps a closer more personal view. 

The tail assembly is now completed with the horizontal stabilizer set in the neutral position and the stabilizer horn in place. Our next task was to get the wing trailing edge flaps secured and rigged properly. This was accomplished with the aid of the RCAF CF-104 Engineering Orders and the fact that we were lucky enough to acquire the trailing edge flap motors from the Royal Museum of Western Canada as we did not have them when we purchased the aircraft originally. We had brackets made up to hold the flaps in the "up" position but they were not doing the job very well so we took them off and used the actual motor assemblies. This came with a challenge since we could not properly run the motors but with a little ingenuity we were able to come up with the solution and now the flaps actually move into position as per the Engineering Orders. They are rigged according to the instructions and we are very pleased with the outcome. The centreline bomb rack is being worked on to bring it back to the way it appeared in 1966. Once the C/L rack is painted it will be put into place and then the cockpit will be started.  Another task is to have the wing to fuselage fillets fitted and for that we are happy to have the help of two seasoned structures technicians from MB Aero in St. Andrews Airport take charge of the operation. A few of the fillets are original to the aircraft but some are new unused / surplus fillets which will need to be custom fitted and dimpled for the screws.

RCAF CF-104 Starfighter 12703 has received her wings once again !!  The installation of the wings and horizontal stabilizer went well and are now attached to the aircraft. Our crew consisting of Russ Johnson, Gary Crawford, Eric Groth, Al Holmberg, Mark Theaker, Pat English, Darryl Pajot and Steve Pajot performed as a well organized team. The wings went on quite easily with very few issues and the attachment holes lined up perfectly. The horizontal stabilizer was not as cooperative but persistence and patience paid off when the attachment hole lined up and the large attachment bolt slipped into position. Now that the major components are in place we are into the final stretch of the restoration. We have the cockpit to complete and the centerline bomb rack to restore and attach. The roundels need to be painted on the tops of the wings and there are numerous smaller tasks to accomplish. If all goes well we should have the aircraft finished by the end of this year.

There are photos attached here for you to view and enjoy.

April 07, 2017

We feel very honoured and privileged to have received a most kind and generous donation from a fellow museum. The Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada based in Winnipeg, Manitoba transferred several aircraft parts from the CF-104 Starfighter which they had in storage for many years. It had come to our attention that these parts were in storage after Mark Theaker had made a visit to the RAMWC  facility  just outside of St. Andrew Airport. Pat English was in charge of the parts along with Shawn Romas who both work at the RAMWC. They were very helpful in making things happen to help us acquire the parts.  The executive staff of the museum gave their stamp of approval and we were able to take possession of the parts. We wish to extend our gratitude to these people for allowing the Canadian Starfighter Museum to get the parts which will be put to good use. Some of the items were very important to us in restoring the CF-104  such as the centerline bomb rack, electronics boxes for the electronic bay, circuit breaker panel, tow bar and many cockpit instruments. Also very notable are the forward main landing gear doors for the CF-104 Starfighter which are different from the doors used on the F-104 of many NATO allies. We can't thank the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada enough for their support. Also we want to publicly thank along with the Museum, Pat English and Shawn Romas for their help.

Pictures below show the work crew who moved the parts from the RAMWC storage facility to the Canadian Starfighter Museum hangar and some of the items we acquired.

We are just about done with the detailing of the wings, horizontal stabilizer and tail area. The roundels and RCAF/703 will be added to the wings soon. The main fuselage detailing is completed so we are now ready to move on to the restoration of the cockpit. This April we will attach the wings and horizontal stabilizer to the airframe. The photos below show some of the detailing that we have added to make the aircraft look as it did during its operational life with the RCAF. We will also be applying the NAS screw types on the panels as they were done originally 

We have begun the detailing of the wings and horizontal stabilizer in preparation for installation to the aircraft. The " NO STEP " for the tops of the flaps and ailerons will be applied shortly followed by the roundels. The RCAF/703 will be placed under the wings on the appropriate sides. We have the navigation wingtip lighting wires to run and they will mate up to the wires that are already inside the main fuselage and attached to the batteries. We are excited here at the museum because by mid-April we should be attaching the wings and horizontal stabilizer which will complete the airframe. Once this is accomplished the wing to fuselage fillet strips will be worked on and the cockpit will start to go together. Stay tuned for more updates.

We moved the newly painted wings, horizontal stabilizer, pitot boom and other parts back over to the Museum hangar this afternoon. Now that they are safely back in our hangar we can get busy with other projects and this Spring we will be able to apply the insignia and then install them on the aircraft. They looked stunning in the natural light of the outdoors and one can imagine how good they will look when they are on the airframe. Our project will finally look like a complete CF-104 Starfighter once again.

The painting of the Wings and Horizontal Stabilizer along with various access panels and the pitot boom is now completed. It is a significant milestone in the restoration process and we are elated to be at this point. The restoration of CF-104 Starfighter #12703 is now in the 75% complete range and the light at the end of the tunnel is becoming much brighter. The parts will be moved back to the Museum Hangar later this week. The application of the roundels and RCAF/703 on the wings will be started when the weather warms up this Spring along with the addition of the stencil detailing. A special thank you goes out to Dan Robinson for painting the parts and to Jeff Blonjeaux for his help and to the staff of MB Aero in St. Andrews Airport for the use of their Paint Spray Booth.

The wings and horizontal stabilizer were moved over to the paint shop this morning. MB Aero located at St. Andrews Airport donated the use of their downdraft paint booth and we have secured the services of Dan Robinson who is a former Air Canada aircraft painter to perform the work. We are very pleased to have the parts moved and ready to paint after many months of waiting to have this job done so that we can move forward with the restoration. The wings will be painted the actual RCAF 513-101 designated white on the top surfaces and the RCAF 501-108 designated grey on the bottom surfaces. The horizontal stabilizer will be painted with the RCAF 513-101 designated white on both top and bottom surfaces. Once the painting is completed we will add the roundels and the RCAF/703 under the wings prior to attaching them to the aircraft. Updates on the progress will be posted here in the near future so keep watching the website Museum News.

The crew on this move were Al Holmberg, Eric Groth, Gary Crawford and Steve Pajot.

Feb. 01, 2017

Our work is a little more limited in the Winter months so we have been working on the finishing touches to the navigational lights and continue to work on the cockpit. The C2 ejection seat is just about completed with the seat rocket to be installed shortly. The seat motor is operational and we will have it working so that you can adjust the seat height as required. There is a photo of the ejection seat below. The wings and horizontal stabilizer are still not in the paint shop and is becoming a point of frustration for us as we intend to install them in the Spring to keep the restoration on track. This will be resolved soon.

We continue to detail the aircraft painting and work on the ejection seat rails headbox. The wings and stabilizer have still not been brought over to the paint shop but we hope they will get there soon. Unfortunately we will have to transport them now in the snow and cold winds but the paint shop is just not ready to accept them at this time.

There are a few thumbnail photos of more of the detailing to the fuselage in the form of painting the numbered stencils on the various panels which identify them as per the RCAF Engineering Orders Manual.

It is our intention to have 12703 look 100% operational as it did in 1966. To that end we have been busy applying all the details of stenciling for the various panels on the airframe. The RCAF roundels for this period were the small maple leaf style along with the new Canadian Flag in place of the old ensign. We have done our research and the aircraft is accurate to this time period. There were always some slight variations as aircraft went at different times through the process of completing the fleet changes but in 1966 virtually all CF-104 aircraft were painted this way.

For those of you who have not yet had the opportunity to visit the Museum and see the aircraft we have put photographs here of some of the stenciling details that have been placed on the aircraft to give you a better idea of the extent to which we are going to restore this great aircraft back to its proper look. 

The wings and horizontal stabilizer should be in the paint shop next week if all goes as planned. We hope to have them on the airframe in the Spring of 2017. The cockpit should also be completed by Summer or Fall and 12703 will then be fully restored. The next order of business would be arranging the interior of the hangar with our displays along with the CF-104 OFTT, J-79 engine, Vinten Camera Pod and a full size reproduction of the B28 RE nuclear device. The Grand Opening and Roll Out of CF-104 #12703 will be announced later next year. If you are in the Winnipeg area please feel free to contact us for a personal tour of our restoration in progress.

Mike and Val Kaehler of Comox B.C. dropped by the Museum for a visit this afternoon along with Richard Wishart of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Mike was an Aircraft Technician with the CAF working on the J-79 engine and is still quite taken with the Starfighter to this day. He worked as one of the last technicians on the CF-104 at 1 CAG Baden-Soellingen, Germany. Val Kaehler appears to also be fond of the CF-104 and of her time spent in Germany.  Mike has a very good memory and was able to explain a lot of things to his wife and Richard while walking around the aircraft. Seeing the aircraft again brings back many memories and helps to transport people back in time which of course is part of our goal here at the Canadian Starfighter Museum.

Ken Mowbray and his wife dropped in for a visit along with a few relatives today. He said he specifically wanted to see an old friend.....CF-104 #12703. Ken flew the CF-104 in 1 Wing Marville, France and later 1 Wing Lahr, West Germany from 1965 to 1969. He has several hours logged flying 703 which also includes a Mach 2 run in the aircraft. It was very interesting to listen to some of his flying stories and experiences with the CF-104. He explained a lot of the operations and technicalities of the Starfighter to his family which gave them a better understanding of what he was doing while serving with the RCAF and based in Europe during the Cold War era. It is exactly this kind of interaction that makes our efforts in restoring the aircraft and setting up the museum worthwhile.

While we are waiting for our time slot to have the wings and horizontal stabilizer taken over to the paint shop we have been concentrating our efforts on the finer details of the restoration. The aircraft has been getting much of the instructional stencils applied and the camera pod has had the cam locks and dzuz fasteners cleaned and reinstalled. Instructional stencils will be applied to the camera pod within a few days. We have also been working on the B28 RE replica thermonuclear bomb and detailing it to make it as realistic as possible for the Cold War display. There are still some stencils to be applied to it yet but it is now almost complete. We also have plans to make a much better moveable stand in the future for displaying it with the aircraft.

We would again like to thank Mr. John Mallory of 3D Custom Foam Inc. for his kind donation of the B28 RE structure and support for our museum. It is greatly appreciated !

The matt black strip around the cockpit was painted today along with many more access panel stencils. Pictured below are photos of the matt black area around the cockpit and a sample of the stenciling that is being applied to the airframe.

The nose cone has now been painted and was attached to the airframe today in order to mark the continuation of the matt black anti-glare paint around the cockpit area. Pictured is the port and starboard sides with the newly applied RCAF insignia and some of the access panel instructional stencils.

The crew today consisted of Gary Crawford, Eric Groth, Al Holmberg, Darryl Pajot and Steve Pajot. Our wings and horizontal stabilizer are next to head over to the paintshop hopefully in a few weeks time. Jerry Pilizow of Aero Coats at St. Andrews Airport did a beautiful job on the nose cone.

Our CF-104 had the port side insignia applied today. Working on the crew was Al Holmberg, Darryl Pajot and Steve Pajot. It was a full days work but the end result speaks for itself. 12703 is back in the paint scheme she wore in 1966 while based in 1 Wing, Marville, France. We will have the starboard side done on Wednesday Sept. 7th and will paint on more of the stenciling for the various access panels. The nose cone should be ready by then and so the matt black anti-glare nose and cockpit side stripes can be painted.

Al Holmberg was our photographer so he unfortunately does not appear in the pictures. Kneeling by the port side of the aircraft is Steve Pajot and Darryl Pajot.

The exterior lighting is finished except for the wing tip lights which will be done after the wings are installed on the fuselage. Al Holmberg and myself spent a few days getting the landing lights hooked up and operational. We would like to thank Thomas Groth, owner of Winnipeg HID Lighting, for donating the landing lights. We spent many hours looking for appropriate lights for 703 but were having problems locating what we wanted. Thomas was able to find the perfect lighting solution for the project.

The tail hydraulic panels returned from the paint shop and were temporarily installed on the fin. They will have to be removed when we attach the horizontal stabilizer onto the tail. Placing them on the aircraft was the best way to get them off the shop floor and keep them from being damaged.

The nose cone is just about finished at the paint shop and we should have it by next week. Jerry Pilizow of Aero Coats Ltd. in St. Andrews Airport is doing a beautiful job. The wings and horizontal stabilizer are now next in line to be painted.  All the initial overhaul and preparatory work is now starting to pay off as we begin to assemble 703 back into a complete aircraft once again. Keep watching our site for further updates.

The tail navigation lights were hooked up by Al Holmberg today. All nav. lights now work except for the wing tip lights which are wired and ready to go once the wings are installed on the aircraft. The wires have been run to the cockpit for instrument lighting and the nose and main gear lights are also wired and ready. We are in the process of finding suitable landing gear lighting at this time. Al was a Radar tech with the RCAF and worked on 12703 in the early 1960's in Cold lake. Alberta. We are lucky to have his services as a volunteer to do the electronics.

More stenciling was accomplished on the tail area with more yet to come. We were fortunate to acquire a stencil cutting machine so this will make the task much easier and less expensive in the long run to make the instructional writing on the aircraft.

Our Starfighter is really starting to take shape now that we have installed the tail cone and vertical fin. It was a tough job especially when we do not have the proper ground maintenance equipment. It was a perfect sunny day though the winds started to come up later. We had to be very mindful of what we were doing and take all precautions so that no one was injured and the aircraft was not damaged in any way. Our mission was accomplished without any mishaps and we are extremely pleased with the end results. Museum volunteers for this installation were Al Holmberg, Russ Johnson, Gary Crawford, Eric Groth and Steve Pajot. The pictures were taken by Al Holmberg.

Next on our agenda is to hook up all the navigation tail lights and apply the proper stencils to the tail area. The nose cone is still in the paint shop but we hope to have it soon so that we can place the roundels and the RCAF/703 markings on the sides along with the various instruction and emergency signage. The wings and horizontal stabilizer are ready for the paint shop. We may have more large parts to install if they are done in a timely fashion. Keep watching our website for more updates.

The tail assembly had the Canadian Flag and the aircraft serial number applied today. It is nice to see the colours being added to the aircraft. Soon we will have the tail cone attached to the airframe and then the tail assembly will be next. We are working on getting some extra weight forward on the nose to keep the aircraft in balance. 

Today is the fourth anniversary of the day we took delivery of CF-104 Starfighter #12703 on July 30, 2014. It has been a lot of work to get to where we currently are in the restoration but it is turning out to be a top notch job. Eric Groth and I were able to complete the drag chute door installation today. The drag chute door is a new unit and we had to have the hinge brackets manufactured by Veracity Machining here in St. Andrews. A little ingenuity and planning made the install go very well. The door works and ratchets up locking into position as it should. We are now very close to attaching the tail cone assembly onto the airframe. Al Holmberg is working hard on getting thr J-79 engine cleaned up for display as well as working on the lighting systems.

We were very pleased to have Ron Swaisland and his wife Judy Cameron visit the museum today. Both are retired Air Canada pilots and Ron flew the CF-104 with 417, 421 and 430 Squadrons accumulating over 800 hours flying time on the Starfighter. Ron was based at 1 Wing Lahr, West Germany in 1969 and flew our aircraft CF-104 #12703.

I am always pleased to see how much the people who flew or worked on the aircraft consider their time with the 104 as among the best years of their lives. There is no doubt that the Starfighter was and still is one of the greatest military aircraft ever produced. It was a true thoroughbred which captured the imagination and hearts of those who were associated with it. We hope to keep that memory alive and to pay tribute to those of you who flew and maintained the 104. Thank you Ron and Judy for coming out and enjoying this aircraft with us !

It was a historic day at the Canadian Starfighter Museum hangar as our CF-104 was officially designated RCAF SERIAL NO. 703 once again. The stencil has been applied to the port side of the canopy as was done originally. While in Danish service the aircraft was given the serial number 704 since they already had a 703 in service. The last time our CF-104 wore the RCAF designated serial number of 703 was in 1972 just prior to being sold to the Royal Danish Air Force. We are very pleased to have her back wearing the original RCAF serial number 703.

Three thumbnail pictures below show  1. The RCAF SERIAL NO. 703 stencil

                                                         2. LIFT HERE stencil on the starboard side of the canopy

                                                         3. The original data plate that was on the aircraft.

We applied the 4 ATAF ( Allied Tactical Air Force ) 1966 Tactical Weapons Team decal to the starboard intake today and finished up some of the wiring for the navigation lights. The aircraft is beginning to take shape as more details are added to the airframe. There is still a lot of work to be done yet but once finished it will look like a line serviceable aircraft...but will she fly ? !   

RCAF CF-104 #12703 is once again officially a 1 Wing aircraft !  The heraldic 1 Wing crest was applied today and some of the painting has also been accomplished. Our CF-104 is destined to be displayed as a 1966 example of the CF-104 Starfighter based out of 1 Wing Marville, France. 703 later was based out of Lahr, West Germany when 1 Wing was moved in 1967.The 1 Wing crest has the Latin motto "Pro Pace Armati" which translates to "Armed for Peace". As the weeks go on we will be adding more insignia to the aircraft so keep watching the website for further updates.

Parts are finally moving to the paint shop !  The nose cone and a few tail section panels are in the paint shop now with the wings to follow shortly. The nose was loaded up and taken to the paint shop by truck ( photo attachment below ). We purchased all the paint for the aircraft from our aircraft paint supplier and they were matched to the actual RCAF specified paint codes.

The aircraft came to us without the drag chute door which must have been robbed from the aircraft by the RDAF for use on another Starfighter. I have seen pictures of our CF-104 when removed from service in Denmark and the drag chute door was not in place. We were able to find a serviceable new "old stock" door through Steve Alex at Jet Spares Inc. so we had it shipped up to us. Eric Groth and I cut and fit the new door and are installing it on the tail cone. It is quite the process to make fit properly and restore the mechanism along with manufacturing new hinge brackets. It's working out very well and once completed we should be able to attach the tail cone to the main airframe over the engine.

We are now about 75% completed with the final polishing of the fuselage and will start applying the RCAF insignia soon. Pictured below is Al Holmberg polishing the fuselage on the starboard side. He has virtually polished all the fillet panels for the wings and the tail and is also wiring the aircraft for the navigation lights as well as the cockpit lighting.

Check back on this website soon for more updates on the restoration of CF-104  #12703.

 June 09, 2016

Sgt. Ron Anderson came by the museum hangar today to see our "restoration in progress" of  CF-104 12703. Ron also came bearing donations for us to display at the museum. Several 104 related badges and some very nice personal photos of the CF-104 on the line at 1 CAG Baden-Soellingen, Germany. Ron was a line service tech based at 1 CAG in 1980 with 421 Squadron. One truly unique artifact that Ron donated was the 421 Sqn. banner that hung on the line service operations door in central dispersal at 1 CAG. It would be very interesting to see a photo of that door during the period with the banner attached. Ron, like many who worked on or flew the 104, had an obvious affection for the aircraft and we talked for sometime about the operational and technical aspects of the CF-104. He was quite happy about the fact that another CF-104 will be restored and on display for future generations to view.

We should have the wings and horizontal stabilizer in the paint shop next week if all goes as planned. Once completed the RCAF insignia will begin to be placed on the fuselage and we should be able to start getting some of the aircraft put back together ! Currently we are starting the final polish of the airframe but with limited manpower the process is a slow one.

Please view the thumbnail photos below to see Ron Anderson and the 421 Sqn. banner.

April 27,2016

We were off to a slow start this year since the weather would not co-operate with us but we are on track now. Work has started with the restoration of the insides of the engine intakes . We had a bit of corrosion inside the intakes likely due to water brought in by the North Sea while 703 sat as a gate guard in front of Aalborg Air Base in Denmark for around a year. She sat on her own landing gear on a cement pad and I believe pointed against the prevailing winds allowing them to drive the salty moist air into the intakes. Most of the corrosion was light but there were a few areas that made it necessary to cut out inside panels and replace them with new aluminum. Now that that has been accomplished we will repaint the inside of the intakes silver once again and also repaint the openings and shock cones with matt black. We do not have the volunteer base up to the level we had last year but we are still managing. This of course makes the process somewhat slower to accomplish the various tasks required to get the aircraft completed in the time frame we had hoped.

We are still waiting for our time slot to get the wings, horizontal stabilizer and nose cone into the paint shop here in St. Andrews Airport. Once we have them painted we can get on with attaching the larger components onto the aircraft. I am sure we will get some help with this major task when the time comes.

It is nice to see that we still have visitors coming in from time to time to view the aircraft and see the restoration in progress. If you are in the area please drop in for a tour or if you are so inclined you can volunteer your services to help us complete the aircraft.

Oct.24, 2015

We also were able to get the J-79 engine installed into the airframe. We will require a special bracket along the spine of the aircraft to hold the engine at it's proper attitude. This will be something for our machinist at Veracity Machining to look at as am am sure Ron can come up with something to accomplish the task. We added some weight into the electronics bay area to offset the extra weight of the engine. Once the nose and cockpit are installed the aircraft should be balanced.

There are some thumbnail photos below of the engine installation and a few " retro" photos that appear to be right out of the 1960's. Interesting to see some of them in the black and white format. The people involved in the installation are pictured throughout the photos....Russ Johnson, Gary Crawford, Eric Groth, Al Holmberg and Steve Pajot.

September 26,2015

It was a beautiful autumn day in Southern Manitoba and a perfect day to take a drive out to the Canadian Starfighter Museum in an antique or classic automobile. The Manitoba Classic and Antique Automobile Club did just that and were given a tour of the museum's "work in progress". Many of the members have done a fantastic job restoring their vehicles and were quite impressed to see the restoration of a classic jet fighter. Judging by the many questions we received and answered they were very knowledgeable on the process required to accomplish this kind of work. It was very enjoyable for the museum members and myself to help the visitors better understand the RCAF involvement in NATO and the Cold War while also helping them gain a clearer understanding of Canada's fastest fighter aircraft and the role it played in keeping the peace during those tense times. I think they all left with a greater feeling of pride for our Canadian service personnel.

Photo attachments below taken by George Penner.

September 05, 2015

Our RCAF CF-104 1960's era crew entry ladder is now completed. It will help to make a complete and accurate display and be functional as well. We are on target with this year's work so we look forward to next year when we will begin attaching the major components to the airframe. Work is on going presently and we are still hopeful to have the wings and horizontal stabilizer painted this Fall.

See the attached photo of the crew entry ladder below.

August 29, 2015

We wish to welcome a couple of new volunteers to the Canadian Starfighter Museum. It is great to have a few more people out to help with the restoration of 12703. Al Holmberg is a retired RCAF Radar and Avionics Technician who actually worked on 12703 in the early days with CEPE at Cold Lake, Alberta. He brings with him a great source of knowledge and enthusiasm to our operations. Jeff Blonjeaux is a DOT certified Structures Mechanic employed by Keystone Air Service based at St. Andrews Airport. Jeff is very meticulous with his work and we know he will do the job correctly and help us bring 12703 back to it's former condition as a line serviceable CF-104 Starfighter. Thank you two for your support and help as it is appreciated very much. If there are others who would like to join in and get involved please contact us at the Museum as we would love to have you and we can put you to work right away !

August 22, 2015

Major Dudley Larsen USAF ( retired ) paid us a visit today at the Canadian Starfighter Museum. Dudley was an exchange officer based in Cold Lake, Alberta and flew CF-104 Starfighters with 417 TAC F OT Squadron. He was in Cold Lake when 417 Sqn. stood down and CF-104 training operations ended. Dudley was also fortunate enough to fly a CF-104D across the pond from Cold Lake, Alberta to 1 CAG Baden-Soellingen, Germany  during Operation Star Leap. He has many fond memories of his tour in Cold Lake and in fact calls it the highlight of his flying career. He has nothing but admiration for Canadians and felt that the RCAF had some of the best military pilots in the world. Flying the CF-104 Starfighter was another one of the top accomplishments during his flying career and he felt extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity. The USAF did not have them for a long period of time and many USAF pilots to this day feel they missed out on flying one of the finest military aircraft ever produced. The CF-104 OFTT ( Operational Flight and Tactics Trainer ) which was used by 417 Sqn, brought back quite a few memories as well and he was happy to be see it once again.

Dudley has donated some of his CF-104 books and manuals to the museum and while he was here today picked up a blue golf shirt which he had pre-ordered a few months ago with his CF-104 name tag and original CANADA/CF 104 emblem embroidered on it.

We were happy to meet Dudley and show him our restoration project and the museum in general. It is one of the great benefits of having this museum to be able to talk with people like Dudley about the CF-104 and to listen to all the great memories that it brings back. The CF-104 Starfighter has had an enormous impact on the lives of so many people and through the museum we hope that this will continue for years to come.

August 05,2015

Today we received our full scale replica of the B 28 RE Nuclear Bomb that was carried by the CF-104 Starfighter during the height of the Cold Wart Era. The replica was manufactured by 3D Custom Foam Inc. located in British Columbia and headed by Mr. John Mallory. John very kindly offered to make two such replica B 28 RE bombs. One for our museum and one for a museum in Calgary, Alberta. It was a most generous donation and we are very appreciative and feel quite fortunate to have acquired one for the Canadian Starfighter Museum to display along side our CF-104. John wanted to give something back to the people who sacrificed so much to keep the peace during the Cold War. It is a most noble and admirable gesture on his part and I know that those of you who served in the RCAF/CAF during those times can be proud of your efforts as they are recognized by many fellow Canadians.

I would also like to make mention to the efforts of Eric Mold, a former CF-104 pilot, who actually got the ball rolling on this project and along with his son Amery Mold painted the finished replicas and had them crated and shipped to the respective museums. Excellent job gentlemen ! We are grateful to you for what you have done.

Once again a special thank you to Mr. John Mallory of 3D Custom Foam Inc. and to Eric and Amery Mold.

July 21, 2015

We were very pleased to host one of Canada's premier CF-104 pilots yesterday at the Museum...the  Honorable Laurie Hawn MP and his wife Judy. They had dropped by to see the restoration of CF-104 #12703. It was great to show them our progress and how we envision the Museum in the future. It isn't hard to see that Laurie has a very special place in this heart for the CF-104. It was also interesting to me as years ago I would see Laurie come through Winnipeg on one of his flights across Canada in the CF-104 and he would take me out to see the aircraft on the ramp. I could never get enough of getting out to see the aircraft and to sit in the cockpit. The last time this happened Laurie flew 104744 into Winnipeg and this was the number of the 10 foot aluminum detailed CF-104 model that my Father, brother and I had built. it was also the last time I would see that aircraft as it was lost in an accident shortly after up in Cold Lake. This CF-104 model is on display at the National Air Force Museum in Trenton, Ontario. It was also a different experience for me now to be bringing Laurie out to see the CF-104.

The visit obviously brought back fond memories for Laurie and his wife. In the cockpit of the 417 Sqn. CF-104 OFTT from Cold Lake, AB. Laurie looked and felt right at home going through the various gauges,panels and switches as he had done so many times before. He was ready to go flying once again !

I would like to thank Laurie for helping to keep the dream alive for me over the years and especially for inviting me into his home up in Cold Lake when I was a guest of 417 Squadron for a weeks visit. That was the last time that I flew the CF-104 OFTT that now resides in the CSM hangar. Great memories of a great aircraft and great people who flew and maintained them.

July 12,2015

The Canadian Starfighter Museum is pleased to have received the original 18" x 36"acrylic painting of " A Marville- ous CF-104 Starfighter" donated by artist Marc Magee of Trenton. Ontario. Marc is a very accomplished artist specializing in the painting of Navy ships and aircraft. He paints "Canadian History on Canvas" and his eye for detail is exceptional. This particular painting is of RCAF  CF-104  #12703  being made ready for a reconnaissance mission out of 1 (F) Wing, Marville, France in 1966. We are very appreciative and extremely honoured to have had this painting donated to the CSM where it will be displayed with pride.

Marc will be producing 200 limited edition prints numbered 700 through to 900 in a 10" x 20" size and offering them for sale at a cost of $55 Cdn. If you are interested in purchasing one of his prints you can contact him at:

MARCSART

Marc Magee

mageejm@gmail.com

(613) 392-9387

Please view the thumbnail photo of "A Marville-ous CF-104 Starfighter" below and click on it to enlarge the picture.

June 20, 2015

The Canadian Starfighter Museum was happy to arrange a tour for members of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (  COPA ) who were at St. Andrew's Airport today attending the 2015 National Annual General Meeting.

It was our pleasure to show the CF-104 Starfighter restoration work and to share the history of the aircraft and it's role during the Cold War Era. We were able to answer questions that were very pilot and mechanic specific since many of the COPA members were pilots and aircraft home-builders. I believe that they were very impressed with the CF-104 aircraft and the role that the RCAF played in NATO during the Starfighter's service life.  A greater appreciation for Canada's part in defending the Free World during the tense times of the Cold War was evident. 

It was a good day for us as we always enjoy showing the aircraft and talking to the public. The break in our work schedule was a welcome diversion. Please view the attachment photos below.

 June 06, 2015

We made a wing platform to hold the wings in the horizontal position so that we can work on them for filling and sanding. The thumbnail photo shows volunteers Eric Groth, Russ Johnson and Gary Crawford standing by the completed wing platform which now holds one of the wings. The wing can be moved around now and will make the work much easier.

Our crew access ladder has been welded where required by the "Welding Wizard" and soda blasted by "Canadian Soda Blasters Ltd. " from Selkirk, Manitoba. It is also now ready to be sent out to the paint shop where we will have it painted yellow.

The engine needs to be gone through before we install it on the aircraft and the tail cone will then be put into place. Our vertical fin had a panel which was beyond repair so we are currently making a new piece to fit. There certainly is no shortage of work in this restoration and we have been doing it all with only Eric, Gary , Russ and myself. I think we are making tremendous progress and with any luck 703 will start going together by this Autumn or early next Spring. Please feel free to drop by any time to see the restoration and if you are so inclined we can also find work for you to do if you would like to help out.

March 21,2015

We have been working hard on getting the aircraft brought back to RCAF standards and making 12703 a true CF-104 Super Starfighter once again. The aft top fuselage red beacon light which was installed by the Royal Danish Air Force has been removed and the proper panel put into place. Also we have had the forward windscreen top panel which was modified by the RDAF to hold the Infra-red gun sight restored back to the original CF-104 configuration.

The thumbnail pictures below show the before and after photos of the restored nose area. The nose panel required cutting out the bulge on the panel and inserting a new piece of aluminium then having it welded in place. We then were able to grind it smooth and polish the panel back to a shine. The expert welding was done by Shane Elliot who operates and owns "Welding Wizard"  in Grosse Isle, Manitoba. Shane is an ex-Air Canada Heavy Maintenance employee and we had worked together before the closing of the overhaul facilities in Winnipeg. He is a D.O.T. certified welder and earned his name on this project. The welding job made it quite easy for us to grind and polish the panel back to it's original form.

Our crew access ladder is also having some welding done on it where there was some damage. Once we have it back we will have the ladder and the under wing pylons soda blasted to remove the paint. The ladder will be painted in RCAF ground equipment yellow and the pylons will be polished to a shine like the fuselage of the aircraft.

  March 07, 2015

We had a great afternoon visit with Pete DeSmedt who is a former RCAF CF-104 Starfighter pilot and Commanding Officer of 439 "Tiger" Squadron. We heard many good stories and learned more valuable information about the operational service life of the aircraft. It is very rewarding for us at the museum to talk with people like Pete DeSmedt and to know that our efforts are of value to others besides ourselves. Our love for the aircraft drives us to restore it but to see it bring back fond memories to those who flew, maintained and served on air bases that operated the CF-104 make it all worthwhile. Pete also picked up his CANADA/CF 104 blue golf shirts with the CF-104 name tags today. He had one made for himself and one for his wife Barbara. The funds raised by selling these shirts will help us get the wings and the tail slab painted this summer. 

We hope to see more people out at the Canadian Starfighter Museum this year. Please check the website for our contact number and email address to arrange a tour.

March 02, 2015

I have been rather negligent over the winter months in updating the Museum News section of the website so I thought that March 2nd would be an appropriate time to do so being that it is now the 29th anniversary of the CF-104 Close-Out which was held on this day at 1CAG Baden-Soellingen, Germany in 1986.

Needless to say we are moving a little slower over the winter months but nevertheless progress is still being made on the restoration of CF-104 #12703. I have placed a few thumbnail photos below which show a few things we have been working on. The C2 seat survival kit has been put together for our CF-104 so once the rest of the seat is finished it can go together. It will still be a while before the seat is placed in the aircraft cockpit though. One of the other photos shows the ejection seat rail support box unit which will be inserted into place to replace the unit which came with the aircraft and was modified by the Danish Air Force to fit the Martin-Baker ejection seat. We need to get 703 back to  it's original condition by placing this new support box into place and secured properly to the ejection seat rails which then will hold the C2 seat and have it looking as it did in RCAF service.

In keeping with having the aircraft restored as it was in RCAF service we will also install the extra fuel tank that was put in place of where the gun ammo container was positioned in other F-104 aircraft versions. Since we were involved in the Nuclear Strike/Recce role it was felt that Canada would not require the M-61 cannon and instead it would carry an extra 101 Imp. Gallon fuel cell instead. We have also been able to find and purchase the aft top J-79 locking pin which we were missing. This will now allow us to install the engine this summer. Lastly we have a mint unused drag chute door assembly which again we were missing with 12703......I seem to have misplaced that picture unfortunately.

Our CANADA/CF 104 navy blue golf shirts with the CF-104 name tags have proved to be a success and this will allow us the funds to do some painting on the aircraft ! Everything cost money and lots of time and effort but we are continuing to move forward. Thank you to our volunteers and to you for your continued support.

Nov. 30,2014

We have had several retired CF-104 pilots and RCAF personnel come out to see the Canadian Starfighter Museum and it has been our pleasure to show them the aircraft and some of the displays. It makes our hard work in restoring the aircraft and building the museum very rewarding. Please feel free to call and arrange a visit while we continue to restore 12703. You are always welcome !

Oct. 03, 2014 

The landing gear is now finished with the exception of a few small details. The gear doors are installed and rigged and the landing lights are now installed on the nose and on the main gear.  Attention is now shifted to the underside ventral fin and arrestor hook assembly. These need to be installed prior to installation of the engine which I have been informed is due to arrive within a week. 

More photos are posted as thumbnails below ......just click on a photo to enlarge. Keep checking back as we are advancing in the restoration and I will post more pictures as new things happen.

Sept. 20,2014

The polishing of the main fuselage is now complete. The cockpit access hatch, nose cone band, R/H main landing gear doors and vertical tail fin are all that is left to polish to complete the entire aircraft. 

We are still working on the wings and nose cone and hope to get them painted if not late this year then early next year. No sign of our J-79 engine yet but hopefully that will arrive soon.

Keep watching for further updates.

August 9,2014

Work has started on the wings which needed some corrosion removed and then an acid wash. After we are satisfied that the corrosion has been properly taken care of we will use an aluminium filler and feather out any divots in the wings prior to applying paint.

Polishing continues at a slow pace at the moment as we only have one person doing the work. We have had offers to help out but none have shown up. If there are any people out there that live in the Winnipeg area and that would like to volunteer to help you would be most welcomed and appreciated for your efforts. 

Pictures show Gary Crawford at the wing grinding out corroded areas and Steve Pajot under the belly polishing the aluminium to a shine. The aircraft is approximately 75% polished as seen in the photo taken from above. We still hope to have the fuselage polishing completed by this Fall and also the wings ready to paint.

June 22.2014

The Canadian Starfighter Museum had another visit this month by my brother Darryl Pajot who came out from Frankford, Ontario just a few mintues North of CFB Trenton. Darryl is a retired RCAF C-130 Hercules pilot and SkyService A-320 pilot who also helped build the detailed 10 foot aluminium CF-104 Starfighter model which is on display at the National Air Force Museum in Trenton. Ontario. The model was built by my father, brother and myself back in the early 1970's and was used by the RCAF in air shows, recruiting drives and various other displays over the years before being placed on permanent loan at the RCAF Museum which is now known as the National Air Force Museum.

Darryl has also flown in the CF-104 Starfighter and has had a long association with the aircraft and 417 TAC F OT Squadron like myself.

We put him to work polishing our CF-104 Starfighter and he now has an appreciation of the work involved to get 12703 back to display condition. Darryl has been a member of the Canadian Starfighter Museum from day one and it was good to have him out to view and work on the aircraft.

June  20, 2014

The Museum had a three day visit by Norm MacSween. Norm was a key player in the acquisition of CF-104 #12703 by helping organize the Save Our Starfighter  campaign and with out his help I am sure that the museum would never have been fortunate enough to obtain the aircraft. He was also an RCAF CF-104 pilot with 427 Squadron flying the Starfighter in both 3 (F) Wing and 4 (F) Wing Germany. 

Norm had not seen the aircraft since it's arrival at St. Andrews Airport which is home to the Canadian Starfighter Museum. The visit was his first opportunity to see the fruit of his labour and we put him to work polishing as you can see in one of the photos below. Also Norm was able to fly the newly  manufactured CF-104 OFTT- PC that the museum has devised. In the photo of Norm in the cockpit you can see him flying over the Capo Frasca Range in Sardinia where RCAF CF-104 pilot's of 1 Air Division honed their skills in the art of bombing. Our OFTT uses superior graphics to the original CF-104 OFTT combined with a true to life working control stick, throttle, rudder pedals, panels, switches and a motor that allows the feel of movement when seated in the ejection seat. It may have been many decades since Norm last flew the CF-104 Starfighter but he was right at home with in minutes after the simulator was started up and flying like it was only yesterday. It is our hope that one day we can marry up this simulation with the actual CF-104 OFTT from Cold Lake, Alberta that we now have on display at the museum. What a unique thrill it would be for a museum visitor to learn about the Cold War and Canada's involvement using the CF-104 Starfighter as well as to view the many artefacts along with the actual aircraft on display and the CF-104  OFTT that every pilot trained on and then to have an opportunity to try and pilot the Starfighter themselves !

Pictures :   1.  Steve Pajot, Russ Johnson and Norm MacSween

                 2.  Norm MacSween in the cockpit of the CF-104 OFTT- PC

                 3.  Norm MacSween helping polish CF-104 #12703

June 7,2014

The Canadian Starfighter Museum was happy to host the Winnipeg Austin Healey Club for a tour of the museum today. The club has a number of members who own classic British automobiles which they have restored to pristine display condition. It was interesting to have these classic cars meet a classic jet fighter like the CF-104 Starfighter. Many of the cars were from the same era as the CF-104 dating in and around the late 1950's to early and mid 1960's period. The owners had first hand experience in restoration work and the process involved in bringing older vehicles to display condition.

A special "thank you" goes out to Richard Chamberlin for organizing the club tour with the Canadian Starfighter Museum. We enjoyed hosting the Austin Healey membership and I am sure that they were all pleased with the event.

May 31, 2014

The nose wheel strut and wheel assembly have been installed on the aircraft so 12703 is back standing on it's own again. We now are able tow the aircraft outside for polishing and take it back into the hangar every night.  Eric Groth and myself spent the entire day out at the hangar preparing, assembling, servicing and installing the nose gear assembly but the effort certainly paid off well.

Please check back for more updates in the coming weeks.

May 28, 2014

The Canadian Starfighter Museum was very please to host Chris McLean and his son Scott for their visit today and to show them the progress made with the restoration of CF-104 12703. I believe they were very thrilled to see the many artifacts, the CF-104 OFTT and the actual CF-104 aircraft. Chris was a major contributor to the " Save Our Starfighter " campaign and received his official membership certificate with the visit. Chris and Scott were flying their RV6 aircraft on a cross country flight across Canada and arranged to view the museum on the stop at St. Andrew's Airport.

It was interesting to see Chris, the ex-CF-104 pilot and father, share his experiences and appreciation for the CF-104 with his son Scott.

I hope to see more people out to visit the museum in the future so if you are coming to Winnipeg, Manitoba or passing through at some point please give us a telephone call or send an email to arrange a tour. We would be happy to see you.

Dec.22, 2013

The weather in Manitoba has gone down into the sub-zero temperatures and with the holiday season upon us the restoration process has slowed down.

The nose gear assembly was removed and the various parts disassembled and cleaned. A newer nose wheel strut is being restored and will be put on 703 as the old strut that came with the aircraft was in poor shape and not considered salvageable. We have a brand new nose wheel tire ready once the hubs are painted and reassembled. The nose wheel well will be restored over the winter months and we hope to have the aircraft back on all three wheels by Spring.

There are some photo attachment widgets below ......just click on the widget to enlarge the photo.

We have acquired the proper RCAF CF-104 crew entry ladder. It will need a few repairs and paint to finish for display. Also we were able to find a couple of dust covers for the main gear wheels as seen in one of the photos.

The  remainder of the fuselage polishing and wings are slated for 2014 as well as accepting delivery of the J-79 engine.

The Canadian Starfighter Museum wishes to extend to all our donors,contributors and supporters a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

Oct. 29,2013

Retired CF-104 Starfighter pilot Jim Maurstad made a visit to the Canadian Starfighter Museum on Saturday October 26th. We showed him our progress in the restoration of CF-104 #12703 and the completed CF-104 OFTT ( Operational Flight and Tactics Trainer ). He brought with him some memorabilia to donate to the museum for display. They were all excellent artifacts which will be of great use in helping us to tell the CF-104 story.  We are very appreciative of Jim's donations to the CSM.

It was a pleasure to have Jim here to relate some of his stories about the CF-104 Starfighter and it's operations in RCAF service. It's obvious that Jim has many good memories and a strong affection for the aircraft. This is one thing that we have found common amongst the many CF-104 pilot's with which we have had the opportunity to meet and talk with.

Jim thanked the Canadian Starfighter Museum for helping to preserve the rich history of the RCAF CF-104, it's pilot's and maintenance crews. It's what makes the hard work of restoring the aircraft and building up the museum so rewarding. I hope that we have many more visits from Jim and other former CF-104 pilots in the future ! 

Also on Staurday we had a very talented artist and former Canadian Forces Senior Avionics Technician visit the Canadian Starfighter Museum. His name is Brian Venables and he painted a very detailed and exceptional picture of 104735 with  LCol. Adamson in the cockpit. LCol Adamson was the last Squadron Commmander of 441 TAC Fighter Squadron during the CF-104 era. The painting portrays 104735 in the start up proceedure just prior to leading the  "Last Starfighter Mass Flypast" on March 1, 1986 at the CF-104 Close-Out in 1 CAG, CFB Baden-Soellingen, West Germany. Brian presented us with a professionally framed print of this painting to display at the museum. Thank you Brian for your kind donation ! www.bc-venables-graphixx.com 

 Oct. 19, 2013

The main landing gear has been assembled and the aircraft is off jacks and on the ground.There is still a lot of work to do to get the landing gear to displayable condition but the major work is now completed. The hydraulic rams and liquid spring shocks are in place and  other main gear linkages have been installed. We need to attach the brake lines and later the landing gear doors. Currently only two main gear doors, one forward and one aft, are restored. We're  waiting for a set of hinges to arrive to attach them. Our next project is to replace the nose gear landing strut and refurbish the wheel well and doors. It would be good to have all the landing gear work completed before the Spring of 2014 as then we could finish the exterior skin polishing and hopefully get started on the wing assemblies.

One glitch appeared as we began to go over the Engineering Orders on how to assemble the main gear when we found that we were missing both two way bushings that connect the main hydraulic ram and the web drag strut. The only alternative we had was to have them machined and we were very fortunate to be introduced to Ron Rueckert who owns and operates " Veracity Machining" based in St. Andrew's, Manitoba.  His expertise and love of aircraft made him the perfect choice to get the job done. The work was perfect and the two way bushings fell into place along with all the other landing gear parts making the assembly job quite an easy process. We had excellent help from Museum members and workers Eric Groth, Gary Crawford, Russ Johnson and myself, Steve Pajot. Thumbnail photos are attached here so you can click on them for larger pictures.

We are indebted to Ron Rueckert and his staff at Veracity Machining for their exceptional work and kind donation in machining us the two way bushings for our main landing gear. Special mention should also be made of Rick McGurk who owns and operates "Universal Aero Engines" in St. Andrew's, Manitoba for introducing us to Ron at "Veracity Machining" and for allowing us to use his facitlities which includes the sandblasting machines to help us restore aircraft 12703.

Oct.01,2013

The Canadian Starfighter Museum was offered an amazing donation of a complete J-79 engine for display and a made up aft engine assembly for insertion into the airframe of CF-104 #12703.

The complete engine is due to arrive in the Spring of 2014 while the made up aft assembly arrived this afternoon.

The donation is being made by Mr. Robin Sipe of S & S Turbine Services Ltd. Canada's primier gas turbine service and overhaul facility based out of Fort St. John, British Columbia. We are indebted to Mr. Sipe for both his generosity and support of the Canadian Starfighter Museum.

This will create a very interesting display of both the CF-104 Starfighter and the J-79 engine which powered the aircraft. It was decided that the fully complete engine should remain on a stand for the viewing public to admire. The CF-104 Starfighter display aircraft will have what will appear to be an operatable engine installed when looking up the tail pipe and will make the aircraft look airworthy and ready to fly. The weight of this engine mock up is around 800 pounds as opposed to the complete engine which weighs in at 3700 pounds. 

We are estatic and would like to thank Mr. Robin Sipe for allowing us to make the Canadian Starfighter Museum the most complete CF-104 museum in the world.

( Click on the thumbnail photos below to enlargen the pictures. )

Sept 03, 2013

The main landing gear is nearly complete and the L/H wheel well is now ready for us to begin to restore and then install the main hydraulic ram and the liquid shock assembly. The wheels can go on as soon as we find and purchase the hardware to attach the brakes to the landing gear leg. The hydraulic rams and liquid shocks are disassembled and are being cleaned for reassembly. They will also need to be painted.

Picture thumbnails have been added to this update so that you can see the quality and standard to which we are restoring the aircraft. Click on each thumbnail to enlarge the photograph. Please note that the large red and rusted metal pieces on the main landing gear legs were made by the Danish Air Force to replace the main hydraulic rams and liquid springs and hold the landing gear in place. We are replacing them with the proper assemblies once we have overhauled them. 

All the hydraulic lines are cleaned and left in natural stainless steel. The fittings are also being left unpainted so that the overall appearance of the gear system looks completely functional. This all takes a great deal of time and patience but in the end it will be well worth the effort.

Once the aircraft is back on it's wheels we can then begin polishing the remainder of the main fuselage skin.

August 29.2013

Great News!  Our Canadian Starfighter Museum Golf Shirts are ready. You can order them anytime. All the information is on this website under the heading " Store" along with a picture of the golf shirt. All profits from the sale of these shirts will go directly to the restoration of CF-104 Starfighter 12703. We are in need of funds to buy the decals and to paint the aircraft. Any help is appreciated. Buying a shirt, a Cold Warrior Book or some decals will support the museum with this project.

August 24,2013

The aircraft is now on jacks as we restore the main landing gear and wheel wells. The tires we received from the Starfighters Team were cleaned and refurbished along with the brakes then installed on the newly restored rims. The ventral fin was polished and the arrestor hook stripped and painted. The next step is to polish all the main gear doors and paint the insides then overhaul the main hydraulic rams and liquid spring oleo shocks. When all is complete we will put the main gear back together and install the tires. The hope is to have this done in the next month so that we can continue and hopefully finish the main fuselage skin polishing. We require the gear to be done so that we can roll it outside to polish.

The Alberta Aviation Museum had it's Roll-Out of their restored Dutch TF-104 as the "Ghost of 104651 " and myself and fellow CSM member, Gary Crawford, made our way out to support them. It was great to see a CF-104D of 417 TAC F OT Squadron ready for public display. The Museum did a very nice job in presenting the aircraft. Many people were on hand to witness the Roll-Out and there were some ex-RCAF CF-104 pilots in attendance as well. Congratulations to the Alberta Aviation Museum !

It will likely be a few more years before the Canadian Starfighter Museum can have the Roll-Out of 12703. Our aircraft is in need of more restoration work than the TF-104 Starfighter and we have substantially less volunteers to help. We are a small Museum with less funding than other museums but we are determined to get the job done.

We have made up some Canadian Starfighter Museum Golf Shirts with the CSM logo on the left chest and the option of adding personal names to the right chest.  The shirts for Museum staff were done in white while the shirts to be sold are in Navy Blue like the old 1960's RCAF flight suits with the CSM logo and optional personalized names added. When we receive the first two samples we will picture one on the website under the Gift Shop heading and the price will then be listed. We hope you will like them enough to purchase one as the profits will all go to the restoration and painting of 12703.

There is so much work to do and so many issues I could talk about but I really have to get back to work on the aircraft.....until next time...

March 25,2013

It's been  quite a few months since I updated this website but being that it's still winter here in Winnipeg not too much can get done on the restoration. Nevertheless we have still manged to do work on the aircraft and slowly but surely many smaller items are being completed.

We were able to acquire the missing landing gear parts that did not come with the aircraft.   We now have all the parts to complete both the main landing gear and the nose landing gear. The Starfighter's Team form Florida generously donated some used main wheel tires to put on 12703 as the tires that came with her were in poor shape and would not hold air. The tires we received from the Starfighters Team are unfortunately also in poor shape esthetically but hopefully they will hold air. We did however get a brand new nosewheel tire when we purchased the aircraft. I managed to clean up the brakes and once a good coat of silver paint is put on them they will look brand new.

We are still in dire need of the ejection seat rails which again did not come with the aircraft. We have a few sources but nothing has materialized yet and if we don't get a set we will not be able to mount the C2 ejection seat in the aircraft.  This would be very unfortunate and would make for a poor display. I am still trying very hard to find a set so let's hope someone or some organization out there will help us.

We intend to finish the exterior polishing of the aircraft this Spring when we can take it outside again. A friend of the Museum from Germany is sending us out an overhauled drag chute door and some avionics containers this week but it may take a while to get to Winnipeg as the box is quite heavy and expensive to send. I will be compiling a list of the organizations and individuals who have helped us find and acquire the parts that we have needed later this year for all to see.

We have also been fortunate to obtain the large J-79 locking pins in anticipation of receiving an engine sometime in the Spring. I will reveal the donor later this year as well.

Please keep checking the website for updates and send me an email if you have any questions, suggestions or donations. I hope some of you can make it out to see the restoration in progress this year....it is a monumental task to restore a CF-104 Starfighter but it is going to be well worth the effort !

Nov.08,2012

Good news for the Canadian Starfighter Museum ! We were finally able to locate and acquire a Starfighter crew boarding ladder. We made a trade for the Starfighter ladder with a T-33 ladder we had found. The ladder requires some minor restoration and a coat of new yellow paint. It will make an excellent addition to the complete CF-104 display.

Winter will be settling into southern Manitoba this weekend and will effectively stop the restoration and polishing of the exterior aluminum fuselage skin until next Spring. The process needed to be done outdoors because the fine dust would otherwise get into every place imaginable inside the hangar. We will now put our efforts into the smaller parts of the aircraft over the winter months. The cockpit will also be started but we are not able to put the ejection seat into the aircraft since we did not get the ejection seat rails we had hoped to have with the purchase of the aircraft. We have another option to obtain a set of rails but that is currently on hold.

This November 11th we would ask all Canadians to remember the sacrifices made by the many men and women of the combined services in not only both World Wars and the Korean conflict but also the Cold War and those serving members on current assignments.

July 30, 2012

CF-104 Starfighter #12703 arrived at the Canadian Starfighter Museum hangar and was unloaded today with the aid of many volunteers. The event went very smoothly with no mishaps to either people or to the aircraft.  Any problems were dealt with by discussion and brainstorming among the workers and once the plan was decided it was carried out very professionally with safety being of the utmost importance. We can not thank the volunteers enough for their dedication and hard work. The operation was a total success !

Now the restoration begins.........

Please view the following pictures.

"The Unloading Crew": Left to right

Mark Bosman, Tony Iblasin, Greg Andrews, Gary Crawford, Russ Johnson, Steve Pajot, 

Thomas Groth, Eric Groth, Herb Penny, Warren Zuk. 

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July 21,2012

     The time is now near for CF-104 Starfighter #12703 to be repatriated back to Canada.The aircraft is being loaded and made ready for transport to the Canadian Starfighter Museum at St. Andrew's Airport, Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

     We are expecting it to arrive July 30,2012 and all the arrangements have been made for it's entry into Canada. The U.S. State Department approved the export of 703 from the United States of America to Canada and we have the paperwork in hand.

     The Museum is still searching for a CF-104 crew entry ladder so if anyone has any knowledge of a ladder we would be very appreciative to find out where we can acquire one.We have tried Crown Assets, CFS Mountainview, CFB Winnipeg and CFB Cold Lake but to date we have had no luck in finding a surplus crew entry ladder for our CF-104. It's hard to imagine that they have all disappeared. Someone must know where a few of them went but we have yet to find that person.

     We are very anxious to get the restoration underway and we thank the many people who have helped us with this project. Please keep checking the website for future updates and we hope to see you at the Museum in the future !

July 4,2012

     We have finally received news that the US State Department will have our paperwork complete on July 9, 2012. The transportation company, which is based in the United States, will have the flatbed trailer sent out to be loaded and we should be ready to roll on or about July 21,2012. We expect delivery of 12703 on either July 25th or 26th at the Museum hangar.

    It is now our job to have the customs broker in Canada arrange the import with Canada Customs at the border port of entry once we have copies of the US State Dept. authorization papers. We also will now secure a boom truck to lift the aircraft off the flatbed safely. There will be volunteers on hand to help move all the many parts that will come with the main fuselage and we have acquired the use of a forklift to aid our efforts.

    We will have pictures of the arrival and unloading of 12703 put on the website after the job is complete so stay tuned to our website for the updates and photographs.

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April 12,2012

     It has been a while since I wrote any news about CF-104 12703 on the website. It was decided to leave the aircraft in the USA in it's hangar space until the end of Winter because we were afraid that moving it may cause corrosion to the aluminum if it were transported over the salted roads.

 This Spring we were set to start the transfer when it was brought to our attention that the U.S. State Department had misplaced our application to export 12703 to Canada. We have since made a new application and it has been accepted so we must wait for the final authorization. Once we have this authorization we will begin the process of getting the Starfighter up to Winnipeg. There are several things we need to accomplish such as getting the paperwork set up with our broker and arranging a crane to off load the aircraft when it arrives at our hangar.

We have also been actively looking for a CF-104 crew entry ladder for the display. I have been in contact with CFB Cold Lake and Base Commander Col. Laroche who has graciously agreed to look into finding a ladder for the Canadian Starfighter Museum. We are very hopeful that we can acquire a CF-104 crew entry ladder.

There is the possibility of acquiring a Vinten Camera Pod for 12703. This would be a very nice extra since 703 was, after leaving Cold Lake, based in 1 (F) Wing, Marville, France and later 1 (F) Wing lahr, Germany in the Recce role. The cost has not yet been determined on this venture but we are presently in talks with the party who has the pod. We would very much like to pick up a set of wing tip tanks and a centreline rack ( this is also required to mount the camera pod ) but we have not located any at this time and we are not finacially able to fund them since the cost of tranporting 703 is a little more than we had expected and I personally can't afford them. I have spent several thousands of dollars from my personal account on parts that we needed to complete the aircraft less the tip tanks and I am happy to say that we now have all the necessary parts to complete our Starfighter. I also recently lost my job along with 2600 our people at Air Canada/Aveos due to the company selling the Maintenance Division. It was a typical scenario of corporate greed and cost cutting by relieving itself of workers salaries and pensions while boosting management bonuses. The repercussions may be such that it will be likened to the shutting down of the CF-105 Avro Arrow program by the Canadian Government of the time many years ago. The Canadian aviation industry may once again find it difficult to recover from the loss of skilled technicians who will have to go south of the border to find work or leave the aerospace trade all together. 

The positive side to this, if there is one, is that I can devote more time to the restoration of 12703 for the museum.

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Oct 30,2011

CF-104 Starfighter 12703 was recently stripped of it's Danish paint scheme by a newer process called Soda Blasting. This system is much like sand blasting but uses a soda based material that will not harm the aluminum surface.  It also gets the paint out of all the small hard to get at areas that the traditional paste strippers can't get without the aid of brushes and pick tools.

During the stripping process evidence of the old RCAF roundels,letters and aircraft number were found. It will take a lot of polishing and buffing to bring back the finish though it will likely never look factory new again. It is still our hope to put 12703 back into the early RCAF markings. Once the tail cone arrives from Denmark it will also be stripped and then we will bring the entire aircraft back to Canada for it's restoration at the Canadian Starfighter Museum hangar. There is much work to be done but it will be a labour of love and we hope to see many of you who have helped make this happen show up at the hangar. It will be on display as a "restoration in progress". Thank you to all contributors !

CF-104 #12703 ( R-704 in Danish markings ) is pictured being taken out of the container after being shipped from Denmark to Bangor, Maine USA. We have arranged to have the aircraft soda blasted to remove the olive drab paint as this will save us hundreds of hours stripping the aircraft using the old process of applying toxic paint stripper.

Oct.12,2011

The final details of our purchase have been moving rather slower than anticipated but we do have progess happening. We have deciced to have the aircraft stripped of it's Danish paint scheme to the bare natural aluminum. If the aluminum is in good enough condition we hope to put 12703 back into it's original RCAF " Srtaight Flush " finish. Also, when the aircraft was originally sent from Denmark they found that there was not enough room to ship the tail section with the rest of the airframe so the tail section is being sent over now. We do not want to accept the aircraft unless it is complete and it can be stripped and shipped as one complete unit. So we are now hoping to have this done before the snow begins to fly here in Manitoba, Canada. The odds may be against us but we will try our best to have the aircraft brought up here as soon as possible. If this can not happen then the aircraft will be stored where it is in the USA and we will bring it home in the early spring. Obviously, we're eager to get the restoration underway but weather is now the limiting factor. We had anticipated that the tail section would have been sent earlier.

On the positive side we have secured the purchase of 12703 and it is now only these details remaining. The acquistion of this special CF-104 Starfighter will make the Canadian Starfighter Museum the most complete museum dedicated to the CF-104. I will keep updating this site as things progress.

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