Pictured starting up and would depart a minute or so later ... but only, for now, to the fuel farm at the end of the airfield.

This F-104 is a composite assembled from two former AMI Starfighters, MM6914 and MM6733 with the plane arriving at LIDH in July 2007. In May 2020 it was painted into this special scheme to commemorate the centenary of Arturo Ferrarin and Guido Masiero's 19,000 km Rome-to-Tokyo long distance flight. Only these two pilots of the initial eleven aircrews made it all the way from Italy to Japan, touching down within a hour of each other. Arturo Ferrarin was born in Thiene and as the first pilot to fly from Europe to Japan was also honoured as Altalia christened their second 747 after him in 1970.

Preserved in a special color scheme, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of the historic first Rome - Tokyo on May 31st 2020.

100 years Arturo Ferrarin flight Rome to Tokyo