Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfin
|
|
| Designed and built in the Czech Republic, the L-29 was the winner of a design contest sponsored by the Soviet Union in 1961 to find a new jet trainer to replace the MIG-15UTI. The L-29 served in the Air Forces of all Warsaw Pact countries except Poland, which adopted the indigenous TS-11 Iskra which is still in service today. The L-29 served in all aspects of the Soviet training program, initially as an advanced and weapons trainer and later as a primary trainer. They were used in combat by the Egyptian Air Force during the Yom Kippur War against Israeli ground forces. In service, the hardpoints could carry either a 150L drop tank, 100 kg bombs, 67mm rocket pods or 7.62mm machine guns.
With a maximum speed of 443 knots or .75 mach and a +8/-4G load limit, the L-29 is an incredibly capable jet that is also relatively easy to fly. Final approach speed is around 100 knots with some variation for the fuel load. The L-29 burns 140-150 gallons of fuel in a typical one hour training flight, but this varies with altitude and flight profile.
|
|
|
|
