January 16, 2012 at 9:46 am
If you’re a F-104 maniac, and you’re having a boring Sunday afternoon, here’s a quiz.
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/pei131313/article?mid=6161&prev=-1&next=6082
In late 2011, in Taiwan, the ROCAF restored and displayed outdoor at the Cheng Gong Ling base, a single-seat F-104.
This F-104 is apparently a former JASDF F-104J, and painted as “4522”, but some fans think this S/N (serial number) is fake, as they think the real 4522 is painted as another S/N, and displayed indoor at a museum in another city.
A week or so ago, the blogger Pei13 got an appointment and clearance to verify the concerned F-104.
For evidence, he collected from the F-104, by digicam and pencil-scratching, gory details in as many S/N plates as possible.
These plates include aircraft S/N plates, assembly S/N plates, part S/N plates, &c.
However, we’re amateurs comparatively new to this hobby of military aviation archaeology, and hope other experts would gather to gawk at the photos, and deduce the correct aircraft C/N (construction number) of this F-104.
OTOH, we’re aware of the risks that, when she served in the JASDF, after decades of maintenances and overhauls, she and other JASDF F-104s could’ve borrowed and interchanged each other’s parts, such as landing gear assemblies (front, left, and right) and landing gear doors (same three), where the S/N plates are mounted.
Worse, when she retired from the JASDF, was stored, disassembled, delivered to Taiwan, re-assembled, served, maintained, overhauled, retired, cannibalised, stored, and restored, she could’ve shared parts from other non-JASDF F-104s.
Thus, we hope other experts would gawk at her photos, and deduce her correct aircraft C/N… although we don’t pledge free BEvERages and pizzas as reward.