aviation - the past, present and future of flight

tape of bureaucracy we were running into,”

Andreassen added.

In 2015, after more than two years, the

Friends of Starfighter Norway finally gained

approval to place 637 on the Norwegian

Civil Register as LN-STF. As the team

worked to ready the Starfighter for its first

flight, attention turned to finding a pilot for

the mission.

Eskil Amdal of the RNoAF was chosen for

the task. He had begun his air force career

as an airborne reconnaissance specialist

before becoming a pilot in 1996, and in 2007

was sent to the US Navy Test Pilot School at

NAS Patuxent River in Maryland.

He explained: “This was a dream

assignment for me. I was exposed to many

different types of aircraft, both military and

civilian. Just as significant for me, when I

returned to Norway, I was based at Kjeller

Air Base, which is a maintenance facility

for the Norwegian Air Force F-16s. I was

one of those guys who flew the F-16s after

they were overhauled or repaired to make

sure that everything worked right.” He still

flies the Fighting Falcon and also the F-35

Lightning II.

“Kjeller is also home to over 120 civilian

aircraft, including warbirds,” he added. “I’d

maintained my civilian pilot ratings and

now, being a test pilot, I was of interest to

some of the warbird owners. Suddenly I

was being trusted to fly classics like the

Spitfire and P-51!

“Along the way, I caught the eye of

Knut Lande, who worked with Helge

Andreassen at the Accident Investigation

Board, and he recommended me as a

candidate to fly the Starfighter.

“What an honour that was! I gladly

accepted the challenge and began learning

as much as I could about the F-104. I was

able to pick the brains of a lot of former

F-104 pilots and read everything I could get

my hands on.”

STAR ATTRACTION

Even during taxi tests, the jet drew a large

crowd of spectators. Andreassen said:

“The Starfighter is a very big deal here in

Bodø, both among the military and civilian

populations. Each time we bring it out of the

hangar, it attracts a lot of attention.

“When we were finally ready for the

first flight, on September 28, 2016, the

event was even covered by the national

television station.”

Amdal added: “That first flight was

surreal, almost like an out-of-body

experience. While I maintained my

situational awareness throughout the entire

flight, I was particularly focused on the

landing. Its landing speed is half as high

again as anything I’d ever flown, close to

180kts, so I knew I was going to have to fly

it all the way to the ground. You do not flare

a Starfighter!”

He notes that his heart rate, which

averaged 80 beats per minute during the

flight, jumped to 140 during the approach

sequence. “I’m pleased to say that my first

landing in the F-104 was probably the best

I’ve ever made!”

Now that 637 is flying, Andreassen is

focused on the primary goal of keeping it

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 45

Amdal takes 637 back to the parking ramp after the third test flight November 18 last year. Sindre Nedrevåg/Team 637

Taxiing back after the first public display at Stavanger. Photo courtesy Friends of Starfighter Norway

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