Jets - They Don't Have Propellers and They're a Whole Heck-of-a-lot Faster!
I've got a lot of experience being "around" jets--but never being closer than a few yards--until recently.
When I was a kid growing up in New Mexico, some of those years were spent in Alamogordo--sort of the home of America's testing in preparation for Space Flight and Exploration and the home of Holloman Air Force Base. Living this close to the home of a fighter-jet wing got us used to having our windows rattled every day by "Sonic Booms"--the jets flying out of Holloman AFB were supersonic. When my family lived in Alamogordo, most of the jets were F-4 Phantom Jets... but they also had F-104 Starfighters and later, F-16s.
Although we lived close enough to see these jets flying overhead (and sometimes over the road ahead of us when we were driving from Alamogordo to Las Cruces under the Holloman AFB flight path and through White Sands Missile Range. We only saw them relatively "close-up" (still not too close) during Armed Forces Day exhibits and Air Shows at Holloman AFB and White Sands Missile Range.
Then, when our family moved to the Western Pacific Island of Guam, we would see the A-4 Skyhawks and A-7 Corsairs doing "touch-and-go" carrier landing practice at Guam's Naval Air Station (NAS). Again, the closest we got to these jets was to walk a few yards past them when they were on display during Armed Forces Day and during Air Shows.
After moving back to New Mexico from Guam, I worked briefly as a photographer/writer at a daily newspaper--and had the great opportunity to be on the runway for the landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-3) at White Sands Missile Range. I managed to get some great shots of the T-38 Talons escorting the Space Shuttle to the WSMR runway.
Little did I know that twelve years later, I'd be working at NASA Ames Research Center in California--and I'd be seeing the T-38s regularly coming in for astronaut training at Moffett Field NAS. Another awesome jet that I regularly saw at NASA-Ames was the Lockheed U-2. Sometimes I had to wait in my car on the tarmac to allow a U-2 to pass by on its way to its hangar. And, I'd see the Harrier Jump Jets doing their vertical-take-off-and-landing (VTOL) on the tarmac across from my office--totally cool.
So, it was an interesting turn of events when my daughter got a job working as an operations manager for a flight training school. And some of the planes they had visiting their hangar were the Czech-made Aero-Vodochody L-39 ZO Albatros fighter jet. This Squidoo lens describes a bit of our experiences with this interesting jet.
Contents at a Glance
- Soviet-Era Czech Light Fighter Jet in Camou with Original-Style Markings (at least most of them!)
- Putting the L-39s Through Their Paces!
- Study Up On These Amazing Planes! The Info Is Right Here!
Soviet-Era Czech Light Fighter Jet in Camou with Original-Style Markings (at least most of them!)
This jet had a bit of fame in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough--in the opening scene, Bond takes off in one of these jets and another of the same make is in pursuit. Lots of aerobatics in this high-speed chase. You can see why these planes are sometimes used in Top-Gun exercises to represent the enemy aircraft--they are fast, versatile, light fighters.
Putting the L-39s Through Their Paces!
L39 flight training action
L39 Formation Takeoff
L-39 Flight
Clouds skimming and loops on L-39
L-39 training flight
L-39 "Albatros"
high speed low pass 250 Kts 460 Km/h (Ex-Soviet) Private Jet
Study Up On These Amazing Planes! The Info Is Right Here!
Draw 50 Airplanes, Aircrafts, and Spacecraft: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw World War II Fighter Planes, Modern Jets, Space Capsules, and Much More... (Zephyr Book) by Lee J. Ames
World War I bombers, rocket launchers and all t more...0 points
Modern Military Aircraft (Aviation Factfile, The)
More than 120 bombers, transports, and tankers, al more...0 points
Jane's Aircraft Upgrades, 2005-06 (Jane's Aircraft Upgrades) by Jamie Hunter
This essential companion to Jane's All the World's more...0 points
Jane's International Directory 2005 (Jane's International Defense Directory) by Peter Partridge
Section on the Czech-made Aero-Vodochody L-39 ZO A more...0 points
Jane's Aircraft Upgrades, 2004-2005 (Jane's Aircraft Upgrades)
Section on the Czech-made Aero-Vodochody L-39 ZO A more...0 points
Jane's Simulation & Training Systems 2004-2005 (Jane's Simulation and Training Systems) by Ian Strachan
Section on the Czech-made Aero-Vodochody L-39 ZO A more...0 points
Model Maker Military Planes: Discover The Exciting World Of Fighter Planes And Build Five Incredible Models (Model Maker) by Ian Graham
From World War I bombers and wooden biplanes to mo more...0 points
L-39 "Firecat" Ready To Go...
Something to Wear When You're In the Jet!
A Special L-39 - The Albatros Called "Firecat"
Attitude Aviation Flight Training
Attitude Aviation - Fly the L-39 Jet!
Attitude Aviation
L-39 Jets by the Bay.... eBay, That Is!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Links to L-39s and Other Goodies!
- Attitude Aviation
- This flight training school in Livermore, California provides training for tail-draggers, amphibious, and emergency-evasion techniques. Some of the planes they have available for flight include the L-39 Jet, a Pitts, Cessna 172, a T-6 Trainer, and a Great Lakes biplane. Check them out here for more information.
- Home of the L-39 Firecat
- This website is the home of the L-39 Firecat. Lots of cool pictures of this aircraft!
- L-39 Specifications
- This webpage displays the L-39 Specifications--right down to the serial number on the turbine blades! (just kidding on that last one!)
- L-39 Enthusiasts Website
- This is the website for the L-39 Enthusiasts... Check out the gallery photos! Lots of cool photos!
- Aero-Vodochody Home Page
- This is the Czech manufacturer's home page for their company.
- L-39 Patriots Air Show Team
- This is the website for a four-unit air show team. Neat pictures!
- Rus Adventures - L-39 Training
- This is the Rus Adventures website that features L-39 flights and training in Russia! Cool website!
Standing In Front of the L-39 Firecat!
L-39 Firecat in its Hangar
In Cockpit, Pre-Flight
Roll-Over at 500 mph
Aviation with Attitude-- Attitude Aviation! (They even get ALTITUDE!)
Attitude Aviation L-39
Fly the way you were meant to fly at ATTITUDE AVIATION! Do you want to Learn to fly right?... Learn to fly better? Learn to fly something really different? At Attitude, you can Rise to the Challenge: Learn to fly. Master the Tailwheel. Experience the art and fun of Aerobatics. Be confident in Emergency Maneuvers and Procedures. Learn to fly Formation. (Really Close Formation.) Make your flight review Fun for a change. Treat someone to the flight of their life or FLY A JET FIGHTER!
curated content from YouTube
More L-39 Aero Goodies You Can Use for Decoration or Wear or... Well, You Get the Idea!
If You're Flying By, Stop Long Enough to Leave a Note!
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Reply
- Liam_Tohms Liam_Tohms Feb 28, 2009 @ 9:57 am
- Wow! I'd love to have a ride in one of those. It must have been an amazing experience. Great lens too. 5*
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Reply
- NAIZA NAIZA Jan 31, 2009 @ 7:10 pm
- Wow, your daughter is really adventurous. It's sweet how you put up a lens about her. Great lens. Thank you for sharing. :)
by EditorDave
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