Ask the guy who flew a MiG-15!

In My Humble Opinion
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I just came back from the best vacation I’ve ever taken. In Santa Fe, NM there is an outfit called The Jet Warbird Training Center. They train pilots to fly de-militarized jets. Their clients include people who are purchasing their own airplanes, and folks like me who want to have an experience in them. And what an experience it was.

During my stay I flew four of their planes:
L-39 (Czech-made trainer)
Fouga Magister (French trainer)
MiG-15uti (two seat trainer version of the Russian fighter)
T-33 (two-seat trainer version of the American F-80 Shooting Star fighter)

The instructors were excellent. They were very thorough and briefed me at length before each flight. I had very little aerobatic experience going into this, and they were able to bring me through quite a lot, much to my surprise. Although I’m a civilian flight instructor, I’m used to flying little Cessnas and Pipers in which we keep the plane right side up. What a thrill to loop a MiG-15 at 400 knots!

It was fascinating to be around these historic airplanes, and each flight was more exciting than the last. Here’s a photo collage. Top left is the L-39. Top right is the MiG-15. Bottom left is the Fouga. Bottom right is a view from the T-33 as we came over the top of a loop.

This was one of the great experiences of my life. But rather than recounting every last detail in a long post, how about you ask me specific questions and I’ll answer them.

Oh, and Happy New Year!

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Q: Will you take me next time?

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Congratulations! The closest I ever got was sitting in a MiG-17 at Gillespie Field in San Diego. (Ex-g/f had a friend at the Aerospace Museum.)

How did you like the L-39? I used to see them a lot in Trade-A-Plane, and they were very inexpensive (to buy – no doubt not to operate and maintain!).

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How much did it cost?

Closest I ever got to that kind of performance was flying a Glasair III.

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It ain’t cheap.

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OK, let’s get some answers going here…

Q: Will you take me next time?
I plan to take a friend along when I return (which I hope to do in the next year). The instructors were telling me that sometimes when two people come to fly they will do formation in two of the jets. They showed me some cool photos of this.

So you’re nominated. Being a cute redhead (female) would put you at the top of the list though… :slight_smile:

How did you like the L-39?
It was the first plane I flew there, and it was incredible! I remember looking out the window as the plane was being fueled and I couldn’t believe I was about to fly it. It didn’t feel real until I started the engine and heard the whine & whump of the turbine.

The plane is very pitch sensitive (as were all of the planes I flew), and I had to concentrate hard to hold altitudes. Terrific view. Stalls and slow flight were straightforward. It was great in the aileron roll - it seemed to do what I THOUGHT.

How much did it cost?
Well as you saw in the link, it ain’t cheap. But I found it quite reasonable for the experience, considering a few things.

First, these planes burn a LOT of fuel. We had no sooner taken off and turned away from the airport in the T-33 than we had emptied the tip tanks! So that’s a big part of the cost.

Then there’s the usual stuff with airplanes in the way of maintennance, hangars, parachutes, and other equipment. All of these are higher than usual for these aircraft.

And consider the instructors. These planes require some real piloting expertise, especially the MiG because of the swept wings. One of the guys is a former Air Force T-33 and F-15 instructor pilot, and the other is a civilian airshow veteran. I would have paid to sit around and talk about airplanes and aerobatics with these guys without going flying. They spent a lot of time with me and made a lot of materials available. Those guys are a class act.

Finally, I went to JetWarbirds because it was by far the most reasonable for the experience. You can go through Space Adventures to fly MiG’s in Russia (or even to the International Space Station), and it will cost you an arm and a leg. To fly the P-51 Mustang in Florida was around $2800/hr the last time I checked. I’m just a working Joe, so those were not options. Including hotel and travel, I spent about what one might spend to go on a nice cruise. It was more than worth it to me.

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Mach Tuck, I’m there baby! I’m getting the hair dye out as we speak!

Seriously… that’s effing awesome. I’d kill (or at least maim) to fly in a military jet.

Did they let you push the limits of the aircraft?

Max.

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And what was the NATO designation of the MiG-15 again? Adolescent snickers in advance.

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Did they let you push the limits of the aircraft?
Not really. Loop entry speed in the MiG is 400 knots, which showed about .65 Mach on the guage at 12000’. I think that’s the fastest we did. By the book the plane could do .94 Mach, but at that speed you get compressibility and the onset of my user name.

In the T-33 we actually did feel the slightest onset of compressibility at high speed, which manifested in a mild buffeting. But the plane was always in a safe flight regime.

And what was the NATO designation of the MiG-15 again?
I knew somebody would bring this up.

The single seat version of the MiG-15 was called a “Fagot” by NATO. The MiG-15uti that I flew was called the… well… “Midget”.

But you try saying that to it’s face and see what happens! It’s a mean looking airplane, and could suck you right into that big air intake if it felt like it…

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Maxxxie, I almost forgot. You might not have to dye your hair after all. Being an Aussie, you might want to check out
AirCombat Australia.

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L-39, is that a Dega?

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Me! Me! (jumps up and down so as to be more visible) Me! I have red hair! Natural! I’m cute! I’m female! I’m a pilot! Me! Me! Pick me! Pretty please? Pick me!

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How many hours in each plane? Considering getting a type rating? (a fun if expensive way to get your biennial fight review)

way jealous,

Brian (PP-ASEL)

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So, was it weird when Maverick and Goose flew upside down to give you the finger?

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Is there any place yopu can fly classic older planes? I’ve always wanted to fly a “STUKA” dive bomber…and, I’d like to fly a FORD TRIMOTOR plane as well!

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Broomstick, you can fight it out with Maxxxie. :slight_smile:

How many hours in each plane? Considering getting a type rating?

I did an hour in the L-39 and Fouga, and 35 minutes in the other two. All of them were awesome, but I think I felt most comfortable in the Fouga. I was surprised, because that was the plane I was least excited about flying. So I’m thinking about getting the type rating in that one eventually.

They told me that a lot of their clients are people buying aircraft. But there are also some who get a type rating and return to fly there a few times a year. Again, not cheap, but way easier than owning your own jet!

So, was it weird when Maverick and Goose flew upside down to give you the finger?

Nyet.

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ralph124c asks,

Some classic aircraft are easier to find than others, and some do not exist in 2-seat configurations.

If you want to fly a P-51 Mustang, there’s a company in Florida that owns a 2-seat training version and sells rides. I don’t know of any Ford Trimotors that are available for rent, but there was a company that made almost identical reproductions a few years ago for commercial applications, and some of those may be in service.

As for a Stuka, you’re out of luck. There are only a handful in existance, and as far as I know, none of them are airworthy. I keep hearing about Stuka restoration projects, but I don’t know if any of them are back in the air as of yet. But I think it’s safe to say that if they get any of these priceless aircraft flying, they won’t be renting them out to the public.

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Told a non-Internet friend about this and he asked if anyone knew of a T-40 available for rental adventures. Thought I’d ask before I hit Google on the off chance someone here would know one way or another.

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Of interest will be the ME-262 project.