FX99 Crying Tiger data

Built in 1965 under construction number: c/n 683D-9172, with a total of 2,617 flight hours on the airframe.
26/09/1983: Last BAF Starfighter flight ever from Kleine Brogel to Koksijde with FX99 CDT-VL François Aerts and FC11 LT. Col. Steens, ADC John Lemmens.

1983 – 1990: Storage in Koksijde.
1990: Sold by Radcomm to Mr. Steve Alex and shipped to Bangor, Maine, USA.
1994: Sold to the Canadian Air-Land and Sea Museum in Toronto.
1994 – 1996: Displayed in Toronto in RCAF camouflage colours.
1996: Through a trade with an MK2 Harvard trainer, Allen Ruben, a former Area 51 CIA pilot, becomes the new owner. He has his own private airfield: Markham Airport, with a large aircraft collection. He began the restoration, and his idea was to repaint the aircraft in the RCAF colour scheme of the 439th Squadron. When they started removing the paint, the letters FX99 slowly appeared. After consultation with the Belgian Air Force, they decided to restore the aircraft to its original colour scheme. It was exhibited for 24 years, until his passing in May 2020.
2021: Purchased by Peter Mullens and Dimitri Dekens and shipped back to Belgium in October 2021.

2022: Due to circumstances, it was put up for sale again. Air-Bilzenn purchased the aircraft on 26 August and transported it to its current location in Bilzen.
2023: First phase of restoration to original condition, full repaint and cockpit restoration. After 1,700 hours of work by Luc Degens, the FX99 was unveiled on 22/09/2023. The unveiling also served as a memorial moment for the 40th anniversary of the last flight of the FX99 Starfighter here in Belgium. The three pilots who carried out the last two flights were also present. As a tribute, three F-16s from Kleine-Brogel flew over the Air-Bilzenn site, a moving moment.

2026: Fast forward to May 2026, opening of the Wolf Mountain B&B. The world’s first Jet Sleep Experience.

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