Appearance will showcase the Company’s flight-ready Mach 2+ F-104 aircraft to public audience
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., September 01, 2026–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Starfighters Space, Inc. (“Starfighters” or the “Company”) (NYSE American: FJET), the space company operating the world’s only commercial fleet of flight-ready Mach 2+ F-104 supersonic aircraft, announced it will participate in the September 12-13 AIRSHO at the Midland International Air & Space Port in Texas, showcasing its historic F-104 aircraft in both flight and static displays.
For Starfighters, the event provides a unique opportunity to showcase how an icon of aviation history continues to play a role in the future of aerospace. Today, the Company operates its F-104 fleet as commercial flight platforms supporting high-speed research, testing, and technology development for next-generation aerospace and space applications.
The F-104 will be piloted by Piercarlo Ciacchi, the Company’s Director of Flight Operations and lead aviator with over 7,000 hours of flight time across a wide range of aircraft types. Before joining Starfighters, Ciacchi flew the F-104 in the Italian Air Force and was a member of Italy’s National Aerobatic Team.
“The F-104 has a storied history in supersonic aviation, setting numerous speed, altitude, and time-to-climb records and serving both the Air Force and NASA during the early years of the space program,” said Tim Franta, CEO of Starfighters Space. “More than 2,500 F-104s were built for air forces around the world, but today only a handful remain airworthy, and most are in our fleet. We are proud to keep them flying as platforms for aerospace research and testing, and to showcase them to airshow audiences when we have the opportunity.”
AIRSHO
Date: September 12-13, 2026
Location: Midland International Air & Space Port; Midland, Texas
Event Details: The 35th annual Commemorative Air Force High Sky Wing AIRSHO brings together historic and modern aircraft for aerial demonstrations and ground displays, offering attendees an up-close look at aviation history.
About Starfighters Space, Inc.
Starfighters Space (NYSE American: FJET), with a fleet of F-104 aircraft based at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Midland Air and Space Port in Texas, is the only company in the world with the commercial capability to fly at sustained Mach 2+ speeds for a variety of aerospace applications. The iconic F-104 jets are configurable as a platform for air-launched payloads, training for pilots, and to support RDT&E (Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation) for hypersonic technologies, missile defense systems, microgravity science, spaceflight hardware, advanced materials, and defense electronic systems.